Stella McCartney has revealed people tend not to wear leather around her – and advised women to wash their bras as little as possible.
The environmental activist, 47, who has built her brand around a cruelty-free ethos and has never included leather or fur in her collections, explained that her general rule is ‘not to clean anything unless she has to’.
In an effort to raise awareness of continued environmental pollution, the daughter of Sir Paul McCartney said she ‘incredibly hygnenic’, but admitted she wasn’t a fan of of dry cleaning ‘or any cleaning’.
Dry cleaning uses liquid solvents such as perchloroethylene, which can be hazardous to both the environment and the workers who come into contact with it.
California classified PCE as a toxic chemical in 1991, and its use will become illegal in that state in 2023.
Stella McCartney, pictured in LA last year, has revealed people tend not to wear leather around her – and advised women to wash their bras as little as possible in a bid to raise environmental awareness
Speaking in The Guardian, Stella’s advice was: ‘The rule on a bespoke suit is you do not clean it. You do not touch it. You let the dirt dry and you brush it off.
‘Basically, in life, rule of thumb: if you don’t absolutely have to clean anything, don’t clean it.
‘I wouldn’t change my bra every day and I don’t just chuck stuff into a washing machine because it’s been worn. I am incredibly hygienic myself, but I’m not a fan of dry cleaning or any cleaning, really.’
Speaking about her preferred materials, she added: ‘People don’t bring leather into me, generally’.
The environmental activist, 47, seen in London last year, who has built her brand around a cruelty-free ethos and has never included leather or fur in her collections, explained that her general rule is ‘not to clean anything unless she has to’
But Stella admitted that it could be tough competing in the fashion industry with a smaller choice of materials.
She added: ‘If everyone else was sustainable, we could have a level playing field, so it does feel unfair – but it’s my choice and I believe very much in my reasons for working in that way. You know what? It’s not like I’m here for an easy life.’
Stella has been married to husband Alasdhair Willis for 16 years, and the pair are parents to sons Miller, 12, and Beckett, nine, as well as an elder daughter Bailey, and youngest daughter Reiley, seven.
Stella uses her fashion line to champion her anti-cruelty beliefs, previously telling the Telegraph: ‘There are a lot of designers who are very f*** you when it comes to using fur,’ she says. ‘If it’s wrong to do fur, then they’re going to do it.
Stella has been married to husband Alasdhair Willis for 16 years, and the pair are parents to sons Miller, 12, and Beckett, nine, as well as an elder daughter Bailey, and youngest daughter Reiley, seven
But Stella admitted that it could be tough competing in the fashion industry with a smaller choice of materials. Stella seen during Milan Men’s Fashion Week last month
‘But given that there are only about three of us who don’t do fur, they’re not being very punk. They’re just complying with every other fashion house.
‘The fur industry gets to fashion students so young, paying them to use it. But even if you don’t care about the millions of animals killed for fashion, it’s not sustainable, and it’s not modern. Every other industry tries to move forward, apart from the fashion industry.’
This year it emerged that Stella pocketed £4million last year, compared with £8.3million the year before.
The company said sales in the year to the end of last December rose by two per cent, hitting £42.5million. But profit fell four per cent to £9.1million.
After the financial year end, McCartney agreed to acquire luxury goods group Kering’s 50 per cent in the firm named after her. Kering had owned the stake since the fashion label was created 17 years ago.
Former Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney and daughter Stella McCartney seen during London Fashion Week in 2014