Stella McCartney Delivers 2016 Kering Talk On Deforestation & Sustainable Viscose

Salma Hayek supported good friend Stella McCartney's 2016 Kering Talk Monday evening at the London College of Fashion. Her nature-inspired print dress came from McCartney's vegetarian fashion collection. Hayek's husband, Francois-Henri Pinault, the Kering CEO, attended as well.

The focus of Stella's talk was the issue of deforestation and sustainable sourcing of viscose, one of the most used fabrics in the global fashion industry. 

The Stella McCartney lifestyle brand was launched in partnership with Kering in 2001. Fifteen years later, the designer is the luxury industry's most consistent voice for animal and environmental welfare and sustainable design. Materials like organic cotton and recycled cashmere are fundamental to the brand. 

When McCartney first launched her label she was “ridiculed” for banning leather and fur from her collections. “I was told definitely I would not have a business, I wouldn’t have an accessories business…by people I worked with, that I looked up to." But as luxury consumers have become more conscious of the impact of their consumption decisions on the planet's health, Stella McCartney sales have risen annually in the "double digits . . . for a while now."

“Fashion is one of the most harmful industries on the planet, and I think people are a little more aware of that now,” Stella said in her Kering Talk. While she says she doesn't want to preach, McCartney didn't hesitate to call out her parent company. “I’m sure [Kering] will give up python farms very soon,” she said wishfully. She was especially adamant that fashion companies trade out real fur for faux: “You really can’t tell the difference. There’s no reason to kill 15 million innocent creatures.”