News by Ashutosh Kukreja
Fashion house Stella McCartney has released its Autumn Winter 2019 environmentally-charged campaign “Agents of Change”, featuring members of the radical anti-climate change group, Extinction Rebellion. The campaign stars models Amber Valetta, Chloe Pearson and Emm Laird, as they can be seen posing in an outdoorsy, nature-based setting in Wales. The campaign also includes a voice recording of famed environmentalist Jane Goodall, narrating lines of poetry by American novelist Jonathan Safran Foer.
Known worldwide for her brand that has advocated for animal rights, environment protection and sustainability since its inception in 2001, Stella McCartney has found a fitting match in Extinction Rebellion for her current campaign with the common goals of raising awareness about the climate crisis and urging action to stop the same. Extinction Rebellion aims to promote greener fashion through this collaboration with the fashion brand for its campaign, #StellaWinter19, as the fashion industry remains the second most polluting industry in the world.
Photographed by Johnny Dufort on the Welsh coasts, McCartney’s Winter 19 campaign is one of her most actively charged ones towards the environmental cause. The images capture models in numerous wide-shot frames around the striking cliffs of Llangattock Quarry and the sands of Nash Point, drawing attention to the picturesque backdrop along with McCartney’s clothing. Through the panoramic shots of the British landscape, the designer drives home the significance of the movement, inspiring the public to preserve nature and fight global warming.
The brand released a series of “5 ways to save the world” mini video-clips, teasing the campaign. These showed the models as they listed five ways in which they believed they could make a difference, motivating the viewers to list five ways of their own. Valetta, Laird and Pearson shared some sustainable methods, such as “ditch coffee cups” and “take public transport”, and other messages, such as “make love not war”.
The collection featured reflects the spirit of the campaign, as it is made of eco-friendly, sustainable and upcycled materials. McCartney uses fabrics such as ECONYL® regenerated nylon, organic and recycled cotton, sustainable viscose, recycled polyester, traceable alpaca and upcycled bags and dresses for this collection, with the colour palette seemingly influenced by the location of the shoot. In one of the shots, a model dressed in knitwear can be seen leaning on her back against a super-sized globe model – in line with the massage of the campaign, centered on the importance of the relationship between the Earth and humans, reiterating the need to take action against climate change.
McCartney plans to release the full series of “5 ways to save the world”, along with a campaign film voiced by Jane Goodall, in the coming September.
