Stella McCartney Spring 2022: Return to nightlife

Spring 2022 is a renewal and return to (night)life, rewriting cyberpunk codes for a Stella woman living in the moment and conscious of tomorrow. Taking cues from ‘Y is for Youth’ from the McCartney A to Z Manifesto, the collection harmonises the nostalgic with the futuristic – connecting Y2K music subcultures to the digital generation of today and hacking into the experimental edge of ravers and club kids. It is an elevated yet effortless wardrobe blending innovative materials, technical details and voluminous shapes against skin-tight, ultra-short silhouettes.

A hardened edginess is softened by fluoro pastels in a palette including citrus and sherbet yellows, light orchid, bright orange and blue, neon and hot pink. This is advanced by technology-inspired moments of reflective silver and high-shine black.

A cyberpunk foundation includes exaggerated A-line raver pants remixed as ultra-short dresses, bodycon ruched dresses and DIY-inspired skirts – juxtaposed with scuba corsets and cropped, tight Refibra™️ cut-out tops.Structural outerwear and dresses are made from a vibrant, lightweight recycled polyester faille, incorporating utilitarian details like exposed pockets, cinchable drawstrings and rubberised belts and clips. A youthful irreverence is energised by cartoonish animals on jersey and brightly contrasted encrusted lace on ultra-short dresses, skirts, raver pants and flares with hot-fix diamond embroidery.

A modern psychedelia trips out across fluid ‘Smile’ and ‘Keep on Smiling’ messages on ombre multicoloured neon dresses, joggers and fluffy knits alongside wavy ‘Stella McCartney’ graphics in velvet on skin-tight tops and skirts. Timeless Savile Row tailoring is reimagined in clean neon shades and dichotomies of extreme proportion, with fitted double-breasted jackets worn over voluminous trousers inspired by raver pants. Optimism is felt in pale pink organic cotton denim with noughties-referential Stella logo taping as well as a handmade tie-dye and dip-dyed white on new silhouettes.

Scuba is a key material, bringing a sculptural perspective to tailoring, bodycon and A-line dresses with exposed lace, oversized outerwear and tiny cropped t-shirts featuring the season’s updated logo. Dresses and corsets are made from a similar forest-friendly viscose evening cady, featuring bold cross-stitching and exaggerated metal zips blending sportiness and sexiness. Grounding the collection are recycled polyester Teddy Mat fleece pieces featuring technical details – contrasted with the smooth simplicity of Alter Mat vegan leather in deep shades and as quilted cropped jackets.

Knitwear balances the sartorial with the sensual, captured in unexpected details on form-fitting, ruched dresses. Metallic foiled chunky knits and embellished hot fixes focus Spring 2022’s cyberpunk vision, offset by minimal compact knits and loungewear.

The vegan, iconic Falabella tote is updated in studded, iridescent editions as well as early 2000s mini shoulder bags. The Frayme is seen as a smaller and medium-sized flap bag in a pastel palette on embossed croc and smooth Alter Mat. Reflecting the season’s sporty spirit is the Logo bag in a new drawstring tote, as well as raffia and woven editions.

New for Spring 2022, the Shroom is a sculptural family blending cyber, artistic and athletic influences – including a pointed slingback kitten heel featuring a distinctive rubberised pad, a puffy slider pump and fluid wedge sandals with contrast soles. Continuing this club-kid energy are Vibram-soled Trace studded sandals, the Emilie as a military work boot and Mary Jane, and the iconic Elyse platform remixed with London-based artist Ed Curtis’ graffiti-style take on the Stella logo and as transparent-strapped sandals. Stepping towards eco-consciousness are the Reclypse, made with circular materials, in neon colourways and the Loop sneaker with raver glow-in-the dark panels and laces.

Eyewear focuses seasonal themes, embodied in exaggerated, flat-topped wrap mask sunglasses taking cues from cyberpunk futurism – made with bio-lenses created from natural, renewable materials. Continuing this Y2K visual narrative are bucket hats with sporty logo taping and the Stella McCartney 2001 motif.

The collection is created with 71% eco-friendly materials, including a new jersey made from Refibra™️ recycled garment fibres, cupro and Sorona^® based quilting, with a recycled nylon outer filled with 37% plant-based padding. As always, it is leather, feather and fur free and features recycled polyester and elastane, organic cotton and linen, forest-friendly viscose, responsible and traceable wool from regenerative farms, solvent-free PU and Alter Mat vegan leather.