McCartney, Stella (1971– )

English fashion designer. Her trademark is the pairing of sharp, tailored lines with soft, feminine, whimsical effects. She was creative director for the House of Chloë in Paris, France (1997–2001) before launching her own line in partnership with Gucci in 2001. She is the daughter of former Beatle Paul McCartney.

Though her appointment as creative director for Chloë was seen at the time to be a publicity stunt, she proved her mettle with a series of well-received designs. Her style is characterized as both romantic and funky, reviving and modernizing the 1970s style worn by her mother, Linda. After Linda's death in 1998, Stella became heavily involved in animal rights, championed by her mother, and uses no animal products in her clothes or shoes.

She was born in London, England, and grew up in Sussex, taking an early interest in fashion design. She was apprenticed to designer Christian Lacroix at the age of 15, and graduated from St Martin's College of Art and Design, London, in 1995. After her final-year collection was modelled by supermodel friends Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, it was acquired by several major luxury department stores, such as Bergdorf Goodman in the UK and Neiman Marcus in the USA. She received the Vogue/VH1 Fashion and Music Designer of the Year award in 2000. She opened her first boutique in 2002 in New York City.