See Stella McCartney and Shie Lyu Ingeniously Reinterpret Each Other’s Work

“Everything was closed, transportation was impossible, and I could only use what I had,” she says. “So I incorporated lots of acrylic, rubber, and Swarovski crystals left over from my degree studies.” Lyu’s conscious approach may have been one of necessity rather than ethos, but she’s continued to evolve in her eco-awareness. To bring a “hyper-feminine” and eveningwear-inclined element to McCartney’s formal tailoring fabrics, she used a signature zero-waste cutting technique to create the gossamer train of a skirt, which is constructed from squares that are handworked with an origami effect over several days to resemble butterflies or grooved shells. “Every inch of the fabric is used,” Lyu says.

There’s a certain undoneness to both McCartney’s and Lyu’s creations, the former relishing in a design “rough around the edges,” with fraying fabrics and unfinished hems, while Lyu took inspiration from what McCartney called the “feminine slink” of her golden chain top, incorporating buckles and metal-hoop lacing and adding crisscrossing machine stitching and embroidery to trace the female form like a feisty take on a tailor’s chalk.

The fact that their work together was a female-led creative exchange only adds to the joy. “There are so few women heading up brands, let alone founders,” McCartney laments. “But the majority of our team are women.”

“It’s been unbelievable,” adds Lyu, who hopes to meet McCartney face to face—instead of communicating via threads and fabrics—when the latter visits China later this year. “I really want to try the trench coat on!”

“I promise to personally carry it in my hand luggage,” McCartney says, smiling.