At the forefront of the conscious luxury movement is Stella McCartney, and being no stranger to innovation, in her next move, she has joined forces with Veuve Clicquot on a pioneering leather alternative; and yes, you’ve guessed it, the material in question is grape-based. Here, the by-products of Veuve Clicquot’s harvest has been used to handcraft six Stella McCartney accessories, which first made their runway debut as part of the Summer ’24 collection at Paris Fashion Week.
“I am so thrilled to be part of this first-of-its-kind partnership between a fashion house and a champagne Maison – connected by our shared passions for sustainability, craftsmanship and innovation. This collaboration is the perfect blend of my cruelty-free vision with Veuve Clicquot’s incredible natural ingredients, using waste to circularly create a luxurious alternative to animal leather that can be easily scaled and change the industry. You truly cannot tell the difference; this is a better way,” says Stella McCartney, Creative Director of Stella McCartney.
The collaboration collection consists of three Frayme bags, a bottle holder that perfetly houses a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label and two Elyse sandals, which feature a platform wedge made from recycled cork collected from Veuve Clicquot as a mix of pre-and post-consumer waste from its cellars in Reims.
An alternative to animal leather, the partnership on the this new material signals both LVMH Maisons’ shared values and commitments to sustainability, circularity and regenerative practices. As Jean-Marc Gallot, CEO of Veuve Clicquot says, “This collaboration with Stella McCartney embodies our commitment for a more responsible future. From the vineyards to our product innovations, our driving force is articulated around shared, opened and collective progress. Reinventing a new circular material reusing the resources of our vineyards grown in regenerative agriculture is one of the key projects that demonstrate our climate entrepreneurship spirit.”
Veuve Clicquot has been exploring new materials for the past decade and incorporating them into their processes, cue the packaging that’s made from vegetal waste since 2010, and now the gift boxes that are made from hemp, a CO2-regulating plant. The material used for these McCartney accessories stem from grapes which have been grown using regenerative practices, and in turn help restore local biodiversity and retain good soil health. The grapes are handpicked, offering full traceability, sourced from the environmentally certified Grand Cru vineyard of Bouzy in Champagne, which Madame Clicquot herself purchased 200 years ago.
The collaboration signals to a sustainable future, but it’s also an ode to pioneering women, after all, both houses were also founded by change-making women, who embraced craftsmanship and innovations, McCartney being a champion of cruelty-free clothing and sustainable alternatives, whilst Madame Clicquot had her own inventions, having contributed to the shape of the modern champagne bottle, she also designed the riddling table in 1818, which is still used today, and let’s not forget with the creation of vintage champagne and blended rosé champagne, she became widely recognised as ‘La Grande Dame de la Champagne’. An au naturel fit all round then.
The collection is now available to purchase in store. Learn more about the Stella McCartney x Veuve Clicquot vegan alternative on stellamccartney.com and veuveclicquot.com.