From Sea Life to High Fashion: Stella McCartney Makes the Ocean Her Paris Runway Muse

Stella McCartney turned the Paris runway into an ode to the ocean, using her Spring/Summer 2027 collection to bring fashion, marine life and the climate crisis together in one of Paris Fashion Week’s most environmentally focused shows.

Presented in Paris on September 30, the collection drew inspiration from the sea and the threats facing marine ecosystems, particularly overfishing and environmental degradation. Rather than treating sustainability as a separate message from fashion, McCartney incorporated the theme directly into the clothes, creating a collection filled with flowing fabrics, wave-inspired shapes and imagery drawn from ocean life.

The runway featured bubble hems and fluid silhouettes that echoed the movement of water, while prints and graphics referenced creatures including dolphins, sharks and killer whales. Models also carried transparent bags containing starfish, turning an everyday fashion accessory into a visual reminder of marine life.

McCartney’s message extended beyond the designs themselves. The show highlighted her long-running approach to reducing the environmental impact of fashion, including her decision to avoid conventional leather and her use of alternative materials derived from sources such as grape and apple waste and mushroom-based materials.

The collection also continued McCartney’s experimentation with alternatives to traditional animal-derived fibres. Her work with Japanese biotechnology company Spiber has included Brewed Protein, a material developed as an alternative to wool and cashmere. The designer has also said the latest collection contained no wool.

The presentation attracted celebrity attention alongside its environmental message, with Jennifer Lopez among the guests and models including Karlie Kloss, Miranda Kerr and Amber Valletta appearing around the show. Kerr’s appearance marked her return to the runway after several years away.

The collection arrived as Paris Fashion Week continues to examine the relationship between luxury, creativity and changing consumer expectations. Across the industry, designers are increasingly using collections not only to introduce new silhouettes and materials but also to communicate ideas about sustainability and responsible production.

For McCartney, the ocean became both the setting for the season’s visual language and the central message. Her Paris show demonstrated how environmental themes can be woven into fashion without leaving the runway behind, turning marine conservation into part of the conversation around what people wear.