Stella McCartney On Why Women Deserve More From Their Sportswear

Why is the sportswear market dominated by males? It’s a question Stella McCartney asked over a decade ago when she began working with Adidas, and one at the core of her mission to create ethical performance sportswear women can actually work out and push themselves in. “We were being talked down to,” she tells Vogue upon the launch of her spring/summer 2019 line for the brand. “There wasn’t an authenticity in the melange grey or soft pink sweatpants and T-shirts – I thought we deserved more.”

McCartney is a go-getter. When Adidas suggested yoga and running as key categories to explore for women, she quite simply said no. Tennis, skiing, cycling, swimming and dance were promptly brought to the table, as she imagined what a modern woman, who mixes up her sports like she does, would want in her gym bag. “The sentiment of the collaboration has always been about working into people’s lives,” she states. “We’re trying to encourage sports, wellness and a sustainability conversation while making life easier.”

Clad in head-to-toe Adidas for every (daily) workout, McCartney knows what works. If it doesn’t, it never gets made. But, as well as being well cut, breathable, lightweight, technically brilliant and comfortable, each piece must be fashion forward and environmentally conscious. “It’s what makes us stand out from the competition.”

Seventy per cent of the clothing and fifty per cent of the footwear in the new collection has been created from recycled materials. Eighty per cent of the polyester used is recycled. It’s a testament to McCartney's mission and commitment to be an agent for change. “When I started out on this journey with Adidas, it felt like I was a one-man band trying to change the world,” she says. “But attitudes have changed, it’s now cool to be sustainable and I’m just happy to have as much company as possible on this side of the road.”

McCartney makes no bones about the fact that it’s not easy to fuse environmentally friendly practices with cutting-edge gym gear. “The biggest challenge was maintaining the performance features of the fabric when it has been recycled, because the basic structure of the molecules changes,” she explains, before praising the innovation team at the German company. Thanks to an uncompromising workforce, items like the Alphaedge 4D trainer, which was created using years of data collected from elite athletes, and the Lycra Fitsense + tops, realised from a breathable compound that shapes, contours and hugs the body, are part of the “Change Creators” line.

“Slowly, it feels that many businesses are going in this direction too, which can only be a good thing,” she muses when asked if she’s still as concerned about our planet as she was when she began designing. “There is a lot more to do, but it's certainly encouraging to see there's a real movement starting. Fashion businesses won’t be able to ignore it for much longer."

An increased level of customer engagement helps, too. “They are the ones that demand this level of transparency more than ever before,” adds McCartney. “They want information on where their sportswear is coming from, what sustainable raw materials are being used and what innovative technology has been used to reduce footprints... they're a [real] driving force."

Now, it’s up to customers to ask for more across every category and not accept what’s been the blueprint for too long.