Stella McCartney unveils ‘Future of Fashion’ exhibition at COP26

Stella McCartney has launched the ‘Future of Fashion: An innovation conversation with Stella McCartney’ exhibit at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow as part of the HRH Prince Charles Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) at COP26.

The installation explores Stella McCartney’s nature-positive approach to fashion, as well as the brand’s use of next-generation materials, highlighting current achievements, as well as plans for the future.

Among the materials on display are pieces made from Bolt Threads’ Mylo mycelium unleather grown from mushrooms, the world’s first vegan football boots created in collaboration with Paul Pogba and Adidas by Stella McCartney, regenerative cotton from Söktaş, and Evrnu NuCycl and Econyl regenerated nylon sourced from post-consumer waste and ocean plastics.

The pieces can all be seen orbiting a sculptural and living fungi display, visually elaborating on the message shared with the brand’s spring/summer 2022 catwalk show.

Commenting on taking part in the SMI, Stella McCartney said in a statement: “This is the Decisive Decade and if we do not act decisively, we know the consequences. A football pitch is disappearing from the Amazon every minute and 80 percent of that area is being used for animal agriculture. The future of fashion and our planet is vegan.

“I hope that by representing our industry and revealing my current material innovations at COP26, I can inspire action among private sector and government leaders by driving more nature-positive investments and incentives. To not collaborate now would be an injustice to future generations and to those already suffering the worst of climate change’s effects. This is our chance and I do not believe in waste.”

The exhibit’s vision is also aligned with SMI’s Terra Carta charter, which provides a roadmap for businesses to move towards an ambitious and sustainable future by 2030 by combining the resources of the Earth and the private sector.

McCartney will also be using COP26 to invite delegates and the public to sign a pledge to end the use of animal leather and fur in the fashion industry, which the designer states are harmful to the climate.

The ‘Future of Fashion: An innovation conversation with Stella McCartney’ exhibit will run from November 3 to 5, before being reactivated from November 8 to 9 for student and next-generation activists, when the space hosts discussions from youth climate leaders, the British Fashion Council (BFC) and The Great Campaign.