How Stella McCartney is Harnessing Fashion for Circularity

At Paris Fashion Week, Stella McCartney’s SS2026 runway brought a procurement talking point to centre stage: denim and other fabrics finished with PURE.TECH, a technology designed to help purify the air around the wearer by removing CO₂, VOCs and NOx.

The brand described the show as crafted from 98% sustainable and 100% cruelty-free materials, aligning theatre with measurable impact claims that sourcing teams will now want to interrogate.

How PURE.TECH works and where it fits

Stella McCartney says PURE.TECH leverages photocatalysis and catalysis to absorb pollutants on the fabric surface, converting them into carbonites such as CaCOx or nitrates.

These byproducts are gradually released from the surface through friction. PURE.TECH says that it can capture more than 2,000 ppm of CO₂ in 10 hours.

Application routes include padding, foulard and coating or integration into material to avoid altering hand feel.

The firm states the chemistry can be applied to any surface or substrate, widening its relevance from apparel to footwear, bags and hard goods.

For buyers, the questions turn to durability through wash cycles, abrasion, wearer safety, finish fastness and how claimed capture rates translate from lab to street.

PURE.TECH is based in Barcelona, Spain and led by CEO Aldo Sollazzo, who was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy in 2019 in recognition of his scientific and technological work.

Aldo says on LinkedIn: “When we first began exploring advanced textiles through the competition Reshape nearly a decade ago, the aim was to integrate design, material technology and advanced manufacturing into the industry.”

“We believed in design not just as a matter of aesthetics, but as a tool for reshaping material intent, environmental awareness and technology integration.

“Seeing PURE.TECH woven into Stella McCartney’s beautiful garments is a dream realised and a step toward a reshaped industry driven by innovation and sustainability.”

For procurement teams, this translates as a supplier moving from R&D to commercial showcase. Next steps likely include third-party verification, lifecycle assessment, REACH and ZDHC compliance, mill trials and TCO modelling versus incumbent finishes.

FEVVERS enters the innovation pipeline

The show also introduced FEVVERS, a plant-based alternative to feathers.

The material is still in development and the company has not revealed composition. James West, Co-Founder of FEVVERS, says on LinkedIn: “Somehow we’ve found ourselves at Paris Fashion Week, watching garments made with FEVVERS walk the runway at the Centre Pompidou in Stella McCartney’s SS26 show.

“To say that’s surreal doesn’t come close. The fact that someone of Stella’s standing has endorsed what we’re doing at this stage is epic.”

Stella McCartney told FEVVERS: “The innovation is just insanely beautiful, and we have created some of the most striking couture pieces I have ever seen.

“It’s not only the world’s first plant-based feather alternative, but it’s also proof that brands who continue to use feathers are choosing cruelty over creativity.”

For buyers, this flags an early supplier to watch, with diligence to cover feedstock provenance, scalability, restricted substance lists and performance parity with down and plume trims.

Circularity credentials to benchmark

Stella McCartney denim waistbands seen on the runway were upcycled into jeans, shoes, bags and a dress, reinforcing a design-for-disassembly mindset.

The brand signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastic Economy Global Commitment in 2018, pledging to reduce plastic use and switch to recycled, recyclable or compostable plastic by 2025.

It has used only recycled cashmere since 2016, claiming a 92% reduction in cashmere-related impact, and deploys ECONYL regenerated nylon. Since 2012, handbags have been lined with fabric made from recycled water bottles.

These data points offer procurement teams a baseline for supplier scorecards and material mix targets.

Airlite points to a coatings roadmap

In winter 2024, Stella McCartney introduced Airlite on two tote bags, a finish that helps remove pollutants, bacteria and moulds by producing negatively charged ions when activated by light and ambient humidity. The ions react with pollutants and break them down.

Airlite also produces paint, with the technology produced in a facility that uses 100% renewable energy.

Together with PURE.TECH, this suggests a category strategy around catalytic and ion-active coatings that buyers can pilot across accessories and ready-to-wear.

Ultimately, Stella McCartney's showcase puts air-purifying textiles on the sourcing agenda. The opportunity now is to move from catwalk to contract with evidence, traceability and unit economics.