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There's a good amount of symbolism to suss out in Stella McCartney's spring 2019 campaign. Photographed by Johnny Dufort, two generations of supermodels, Kaia Gerber and Kate Moss, feature in standout pieces from McCartney's latest ready-to-wear collection that showed in Paris last October — a tie-dye, organic denim jumpsuit, a white, organic cotton boiler suit, a metallic floral mini, and more. But it's the campaign's shape, in distinct circles against a white background, that contains the hidden message.
The circles represent's McCartney's steadfast commitment to sustainability and a circular economy — meaning the British designer doesn't make something, uses it, and disposes of it. Instead, she keeps resources in use for as long as possible, extracts the maximum value from each, then recovers and regenerates textiles and materials at the end of each service life. The brand is embracing new business models that transform how McCartney produces her clothes, sells them, shares them (if you consign a Stella McCartney item with e-commerce reseller TheRealReal, you'll get $100 to shop at her store), and repairs/reuses them.
Since 2001, the designer has lead a sustainability revolution of sorts in the luxury fashion sector. The Stella McCartney brand is vegetarian, it's masculine and feminine, it's not going to push £500 T-shirts — and, best of all, it makes every effort to reduce its footprint on the environment. In fact, 60% of the spring 2019 womenswear runway collection comes from sustainable materials, sustainable viscose, regenerated cashmere, organic cotton and denim, recycled nylon, sustainable wood and cork, and eco alter nappa. The eco-friendly campaign marks Gerber's first McCartney ad (following her first McCartney runway show last season) and Kate Moss's seventh.
Telling British Vogue, McCartney explains that she has a real connection with Gerber and Moss: "For this season, I wanted to capture the wonder of women: the circle of life and the love of learning from those that inspire and came before us and are in the now. We represent women of any age." In 1995, Moss walked her Central St. Martins graduate collection show, representing the McCartney woman of today, while Gerber (daughter of another supermodel, Cindy Crawford) represents the McCartney woman of tomorrow. And just like that — the collection, the runway show, and now the campaign — it all comes full circle. Click through the slideshow ahead to Gerber and Moss work their magic.
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