Stella McCartney launches Autumn campaign with Animals as Equals

Stella McCartney has launched its Autumn 2021 campaign, ‘Our time has come’ – projecting a stylish fantasy of animals rewilding London, living freely and taking their places amongst humans whilst wearing sustainable luxury pieces embodying ‘J is for Joy’ from the McCartney A to Z Manifesto.

It communicates a message of animals as equals and supports Humane Society International’s (HSI) campaign petitions to end the cruel fur trade both in the United Kingdom and globally. Narrated as a tongue-in-cheek documentary by British comedian David Walliams, the hero film reflects Stella’s signature humour.

‘Our time has come’ broke exclusively on Vogue Global sites at on Monday, June 14 with clips of the film and campaign messaging shown on the iconic Piccadilly Lights in London for seven days with a 40 second full screen takeover every hour.  The campaign was planned in house by Stella McCartney with the outdoor showcase planned in collaboration with Ocean Outdoor which operates the Piccadilly Lights on behalf of Landsec.

To raise additional awareness for its cruelty-free movement and encourage people to sign the HSI Fur Free Britain petition, Stella McCartney organised a guerrilla gathering at Piccadilly Circus at 11am on Wednesday, June 16. Brand ambassadors wearing animal heads aligned with the Autumn 2021 campaign, asked passers-by to sign the Humane Society Fur Free Britain petition

“While this campaign is light-hearted, I wanted to address a serious issue: ending the use of fur. Whether it is being sold here in the United Kingdom or farmed globally, barbarism knows no borders and this effort is key to my life’s mission of bringing a conscience to the fashion industry. I am proud to partner with Humane Society International and to help raise awareness of the incredible work they do – please join us in ending this horrendous practice by signing their petitions now,” says Stella McCartney.

“Stella McCartney’s inspiring leadership on fur-free fashion is second to none, so we are thrilled to partner with her on this exciting new initiative calling for a global end to fur cruelty. Millions of animals on fur factory farms endure deprivation and pain for the fur trade, and animals trapped and drowned in the wild suffer terribly too – simply for fashion items no-one needs. We’re proud to stand with Stella McCartney and her celebrity advocates to say it’s time to call time on fur,” says Jeffrey Flocken, president of Humane Society International.

Progressing this cruelty-free ethos forward through fashion, Autumn 2021 is an optimistic, energetic, colourful vision – elevating performance wear archetypes and refocusing them with softness, sensuality and fluidity. Vegan bags include the iconic Falabella playfully exaggerated as an oversized Maxi edition and the Frayme, a bold new style remixing classic brand codes. The exuberant collection is made with 80% eco-friendly materials, making it the British fashion house’s most sustainable to date.

Having never used leather, feathers, fur or skins since it launched in 2001, Stella McCartney is asking its global community of changemakers to sign Humane Society International’s Stop Deadly Fur (North America, Europe, Asia) petition calling on all countries to ban fur farming and highlighting the trade’s danger to both human and animal lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every year, over 100 million animals are killed for fur – with Stella McCartney’s use of Fur Free Fur helping prevent 60,000 animal deaths. The brand is also raising awareness for HSI’s Fur Free Britain petition, urging the UK government to ban the import and sale of fur. There is already a strong desire, with 72% of Brits supporting the proposal and a further 93% against wearing animal fur, with fur farms already illegal in the nation.