STELLA BY STELLA: The Winter 2022 runway show celebrated Frank Stella
Introduced as STELLA BY STELLA, the Winter 2022 collection celebrated iconic American artist Frank Stella – one of the most important painters and sculptors of his generation. Presented at the historic Centre Pompidou, modern staples became wearable art.
Friends and guests present included Frank Stella’s son, Peter Stella, Daisy Ridley, Ella Emhoff, Jessica Wang, Abbey Cowen, Leonie Hanne, Mary Leest, Olivia Neill, Nia Dennis, Sheila Hicks, Antoine Arnault and a surprise appearance by Minnie Mouse – wearing a custom Stella pantsuit in honour of International Women’s Day.
We used to paint on one of my bedroom windows looking up Main Street. So, it was a turkey in November, Santa Claus a few days later and winding down with Mother Rabbit on Easter. I might have ended up as a happy representational painter tutored by his mother if it hadn't been for the venetian blinds that fell open and allowed the trackless trolley headlights to bury our turkey in stripes.
Born in 1936 in Malden, Massachusetts, Frank Stella's early career is known for minimalist abstractionism – clean linear structures and matte, brushed surfaces. He broke away from the abstract expressionism popularised by the likes of Jackson Pollock and Franz Klines at the time and has continued to reinvent his style each decade.
This spanned mixed-media collaging to geographic illusions and lithographic drawings. His career later branched into maximalism, with multi-coloured, three-dimensional paintings and metallic sculptures in eccentric shapes.
STELLA BY STELLA brought Frank Stella's works to life, referencing specific pieces including Swan Engraving III, (1982), Ahab (1988), Spectralia (1994) and his V Series. It featured a natural palette pairing masculine earthiness with feminine makeup tones, energised by unexpected bursts of colour and print.
Stella was also inspired by Frank Stella’s presence on the New York art scene: creating work during the day and mixing with other creatives at night. Textures and tones additionally pulled from modernist 1970s furniture.
This interiors reference could be seen in puffy recycled nylon and chenille Frayme and Logo bags. Innovation came from a new Monogram shoulder bag, crafted from a vegan grape leather alternative made using Italian winery waste.
This bio-material continued in a new sneaker, our most conscious shoe to date. Puffy shapes were also seen on Air Slides with tonal chain details and vegan stretch cowboy boots. Frank Stella’s eccentric shapes on sculptural jewellery rounded out the accessories offering.
The Winter 2022 runway show was dedicated to the people affected by the war in Ukraine. Stella McCartney has made a donation to CARE, an organisation providing emergency crisis support to 4 million Ukrainians – especially women, children, the elderly and families. Give peace a chance.
