Stella McCartney Spring Summer 2022
Stella McCartney Spring Summer 2022 collection evokes a sensual femininity; a visual narrative that engages Stella women to redefine sexiness through feelings of softness and lightness. Pieces evolve the brand’s signature effortlessness, drawing unexpected inspirations from notions of exploration and expansion of consciousness. Shot at Espace Niemeyer in Paris, Stella makes a return to the runway with a show rooted in the powerful notion that mushrooms are the future of fashion.
Seeing fungi’s transformative and transcendental qualities in the Fantastic Fungi documentary inspired Stella’s visions for the presentation, beginning the show with narrations by mycologist Paul Stamets and otherworldly synthesiser music created from mushrooms. This complements the launch of the special-edition Frayme Mylo™️ – a new Stella icon and the world’s first bag made from Bolt Thread’s Mylo™️ mycelium leather to be presented on a runway. Also taking cues from an organic base, Stella McCartney Spring Summer 2022 collection’s palette pulls heavily from nature’s own vibrancy, blending energetic brightness with earthiness.
Sweeping fringe gives movement to trousers, shrunken waistcoats and dresses in hand-drawn mushrooms prints on light organdie, with piped sculptural necklines borrowing from astronaut cooling tubes. This visual narrative is elaborated on by belted kimono jackets and judo trousers with quilting details. Ultra-light parachute parkas and pants billow in silky and transparent sustainable cupro and washed organic cotton featuring utilitarian details, while mesh offers peeks of flesh encrusted into the shoulders of utility jackets.
Sensual tight twists and bodycon cut-outs create strong biophilic shapes – contrasting exposed skin with compact knits in bold colours and fractal patterns on bodysuits, tops and jersey dresses. These are styled under monochromatic tailoring including single-breasted boyfriend blazers made from structured twill, fluid linen and zero-deforestation viscose worn over cargo pants. Oversized textured mesh jumpers have graphical cut-outs alongside hand-smocked oversized fluid t-shirts and dresses creating soft, deconstructed corset illusions.
Stretched and ruffled printed plisse dresses float over the body. Crystal diamanté lace is worn over a shadow of a graphic silhouette – continuing in fitted vests, high-neck tops and all-in-ones giving the appearance of a sparkling second skin.
Accessories include vegan Frayme bags, energised by new styles with a hand strap and contrast-colour chains and woven Alter Mat saddle bags. Comfort and airiness are felt in pillowy platform wedge sandals with chunky silver zips and cut-out side details. Playful and lightweight mules feature an Aertex knitted upper on a chunky block heel, in soft and crystal mesh editions.
This season’s symbols are expressed across necklaces in silver, gold and bright shades. Vibrant eyewear made from bio-based and renewable materials pushes forward with movement and athleticism – including angular, triangular shapes creating a sharp sportiness.
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STELLA McCARTNEY FRAYME IS THE WORLD’S FIRST MUSHROOM LEATHER BAG FEATURED IN A RUNWAY SHOW
The Stella McCartney Frayme is the world’s first bag made from Mylo™️ to be part of a runway show. Titled the Frayme Mylo™️, it was launched during the sustainable luxury pioneer’s Summer 2022 collection presentation on 4 October during Paris Fashion Week. Mylo™️ is a material innovation by Bolt Threads and is a verified vegan, sustainable, animal-free leather alternative made from mycelium – the infinitely renewable underground root system of fungi.
Stella and Bolt Threads have been partners in sustainable innovation since 2017, and the luxury house has been part of the Mylo™️ journey since its inception. Combining deep science with high-fashion design, the Frayme Mylo™️ showcases the capabilities of this next-generation material and is the first of many anticipated commercial offerings. The Frayme bag is a new Stella icon – a bold vegan style re-energising classic brand codes inspired by the iconic Falabella tote including an oversized recyclable aluminium chain strap that runs around the bag as well as a zamac statement medallion.
“For my Summer 2022 collection, I was so inspired by fungi and their incredible potential for saving our planet – and the Frayme Mylo™️ embodies that hope for the future. Our long-time partners at Bolt Threads and I have a shared passion for material innovation and launching a luxury handbag made from Mylo™️ mycelium leather is a landmark moment not only for us, but the world. What you see on the runway today is the conscious fashion industry of tomorrow.” – Stella McCartney
“With good reason, consumers are demanding sustainable material alternatives that also look and feel great. Working closely with Stella and her team of innovative designers has enabled us to make Mylo™️ a no-compromise, animal-free alternative to leather. The Frayme Mylo™️ bag is a huge milestone for sustainable fashion, making better material options accessible to consumers all around the world.” – Dan Widmaier, Founder and CEO Bolt Threads
Inspired by its McCartney A to Z Manifesto and 20th anniversary in 2021, Stella McCartney is more committed than ever to bringing a conscience to the fashion industry – having never used leather, feathers, fur or skins since day one. In October 2020, Stella McCartney was announced as part of an exclusive consortium of brands working with Mylo™️, exploring its uses and providing critical feedback to the Bolt Threads team. The first product ever created with Mylo™️ was a prototype of Stella’s iconic Falabella bag, which debuted as part of the V&A’s Fashioned from Nature exhibition in 2018, and the brand launched the world’s first garments made from Mylo™️ in 2021.
Remarkably similar to animal leather yet designed to reduce environmental impacts, Mylo™️ is a soft, substantial material that is certified bio-based, meaning it is made predominantly from renewable ingredients found in nature today. Mycelium is regenerative and thrives abundantly in the wild feeding on natural resources. Scientists at Bolt Threads have learned how to reproduce what happens under the forest floor, where mycelium grows best, in a lab to create Mylo™️ with mulch, air and water and using 100% renewable energy – spawning an entirely new category of material science.
This state-of-the-art process is designed to have a minimal environmental impact and takes days, not years like raising cattle. It requires 17,000 litres of water to produce a kilogram of leather, with animal agriculture accounting for approximately 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions and driving the destruction of vital ecosystems; 70-80% of the Amazon’s deforested area is now used for cattle pastures. Mylo™️ is also not petroleum-based, unlike synthetic leathers, meaning more fossil fuels can be kept in the ground and less plastic is deposited into landfills and oceans.
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