The Gentle Barn sets the scene for the Stella McCartney Spring 2023 ad campaign with Madelyn Cline and vegan accessories captured amongst the six-acre sanctuary’s farmyards, fields and inhabitants. The collection is inspired by ‘Change the History’ – an activist slogan by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, whose iconic illustrations and punk social statements feature in the collection.

“What is more punk than upending the entire food and fashion industrial complex by removing animal products from the equation? My mantra right now is: ‘We are what we eat, we are what we wear’. Our choices have an interconnected impacts and if we want to change the history and protect Mother Earth for future generations, we must take action – from stopping eating meat, to ending the needless deaths of animal for fashion,” said Stella McCartney.

The Gentle Barn animal sanctuary in Santa Clarita, California is a completely vegan property with a holistic approach to care, it houses over 170 animals including cows, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, llamas, emus, cats, dogs and birds.

Originally presented at the Centre Pompidou during Paris Fashion Week, the Summer 2023 collection is free from leather, feathers, fur and exotic skins – with the ready-to-wear offering crafted using 91% responsible materials. Minimal pieces blend the nostalgic with the iconic, platforming strong silhouettes redefining different eras of the Stella DNA – reaffirming brand codes through utilitarian and seductive staples referencing the 90s and 2000s, advancing desirability, wearability and sustainability.