Stella McCartney is buying back LVMH’s minority stake in her eponymous fashion label but will continue to work with the French luxury conglomerate with the new title of Global Ambassador On Sustainability.

Stella McCartney Buys Back Minority Share From LVMH

Stella McCartney Buys Back Minority Share From LVMH

Stella McCartney is repurchasing the minority stake in her fashion brand held by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, five years after the luxury conglomerate purchased the stake in Stella McCartney’s business in 2019 and at the time brought her on board as a consultant on sustainability. 

McCartney’s previous investor was Kering, which had a fifty percent stake in her company. Kering helped McCartney develop her sustainable fashion brand over seventeen years, with the collaboration ending in March 2019 when the fashion designer bought back her stake.

McCartney will continue to advise LVMH on sustainability issues as a Global Ambassador on Sustainability. 

In a statement on the first day of the spring 2025 couture shows in Paris, LVMH said McCartney was taking back the stake “after more than five years of fruitful collaboration.” The group added: “This new chapter for Stella McCartney reflects her desire to write a new page in her story independently, after working closely with the group to strengthen the fundamentals and governance of her house.”

This move marks a turning point for luxury fashion brand Stella McCartney, which is entering a new phase of entrepreneurial independence.

Stella McCartney: Years of craftsmanship and fashion 

Stella McCartney, daughter of the Beatles’ Paul McCartney, launched her eponymous fashion label in collaboration with the Gucci Group, then a division of what is now Kering, in 2001, with an ethos rooted in sustainable and cruelty-free fashion. As a lifelong vegetarian, McCartney was resolute in her decision to avoid leather and fur, which set the brand apart from its luxury counterparts. The inaugural collection was met with critical acclaim, establishing the brand as a trailblazer in ethical luxury.

In 2018, McCartney acquired full ownership of her brand from Kering, marking a significant turning point. This independence allowed the brand to deepen its focus on sustainability. In 2019, Stella McCartney entered into a partnership with LVMH to further develop her brand, while retaining a majority ownership. She also served as a special advisor on sustainability to Bernard Arnault and the executive committee. Additionally, in January 2020, Stella became the first fashion designer to appear on the cover of Vogue USA.

Over the years, Stella McCartney collaborated with leading firms and researchers to develop cutting-edge materials, including mushroom leather and bio-fabricated silk. In 2014, the brand partnered with Adidas to launch Adidas by Stella McCartney, next-gen athleticwear engineered from innovative materials crafted from recycled ocean plastics and regenerated fibres. The fashion brand has also collaborated with Bolt Threads, a biotechnology company, to develop Mylo — a sustainable leather alternative made from mycelium i.e. mushroom root structure.

Notable accomplishments include releasing the vegan STELLA fragrance and debuting a lingerie collection in 2008. In Winter 2009, the iconic Falabella bag was introduced, distinguished by a hand-laced cotton and diamond-cut chain detail – the vegan accessory is now part of Stella McCartney’s best selling collections. That year, Stella McCartney Kids was introduced and the brand expanded into eco-friendly eyewear in 2011.

The first Stella McCartney menswear launched in 2017 and Stella designed her debut vegan Stan Smith trains in Autumn 2018. That year, she launched the Stella McCartney Cares Foundation – a non-profit charity platform devoted to dually supporting sustainability and breast cancer awareness, two causes especially close to the designer’s heart.

In 2021, Stella McCartney joined forces with Evrnu to create garments using NuCycl™, a regenerated fibre made from textile waste. This initiative underscores the brand’s dedication to circular fashion and reducing waste. Further partnerships with Canopy, a non-profit organisation focused on forest conservation, ensure that the brand’s viscose supply chain adheres to the highest sustainability standards. Additionally, collaborations with ECONYL® and Re.Verso® have enabled the incorporation of recycled nylon and wool into the brand’s collections, significantly reducing the environmental footprint.

Cementing her position as an innovation leader in 2021, Stella was invited by HRH The Prince of Wales’ Sustainable Markets Initiative to attend the global climate change summit, United Nations Climate Change Conference, where she launched the Future of Fashion exhibit. She also attended the G7 UK conference and signed the Terra Carta treaty. In the same year, she released the world’s first vegan football boot, in collaboration with adidas and Paul Pogba, and the world’s first Mylo mycelium leather garments.

In 2022, Stella released the world’s first commercially available Mylo luxury handbag crafted from mycelium. She also launched STELLA by Stella McCartney – a vegan and cruelty-free skincare range crafted from over 99 percent natural ingredients – and became co-founder of the SOS Fund, investing in next-gen start-ups at the grassroots level to support nature-positive solutions and innovations.

In 2023, Stella debuted the world’s first-ever luxury products crafted from BioSequins and regenerative cotton. Today, Stella McCartney spans women’s ready to wear, unisex capsules, kids’ clothing, accessories, swimwear, lingerie, a performance wear collaboration with adidas, STELLA skincare and more – with 48 directly owned stores and twenty-one franchise stores across New York City, London, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. Her collections are sold in seventy-seven nations through 863 specialty shops and department stores, and shipped to a hundred countries via online orders.