Stella McCartney is celebrating its iconic Falabella tote’s 15th anniversary. The original vegan ‘it’ bag was revolutionary then and now – rebelling against the status quo and setting a new standard for luxury without leather, but with the same handcraftsmanship, quality and durability as animal products. The Falabella has become a vehicle for innovation and collaboration, evolving with and embodying Stella McCartney’s cruelty-free mission.
Every year, the fashion industry kills over 1 billion animals for leather (PETA). This has a negative impact on the environment, with animal agriculture responsible for 80% of the Amazon’s deforested areas (WWF) and driving 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (FAO). The Falabella has never harmed a single creature, and is vegan down to the glue.
Handcrafted by artisans in Italy since its debut in the Winter 2009 collection, the Falabella reflects Stella McCartney’s leadership in sustainability and material innovation – revisited seasonally in industry-shifting regenerative, recycled, circular and lower-impact technologies. Its immediately recognisable design is a dichotomy of masculine and feminine, hard and soft.
It is a favourite amongst fashion lovers, change makers and the celebrity set, worn by Rihanna, Beyonce, Kate Hudson, Kate Moss and beyond. Collaborators on special editions include Urs Fischer, Gary Hume, Hajime Sorayama and Disney. The Falabella has been focal in many of Stella McCartney’s most iconic campaigns, seen on Natalia Vodianova, Amber Valetta and Cara Delevingne in the Summer 2024 shoot, most recently.
Pioneering innovations include next-gen alternatives to animal leather: MIRUM®, a plant-based, plastic-free and fully circular material; VEGEA, using grape by-product from Italian wineries; and YATAY®, made from a mix of agricultural waste and recycled fibres. The Winter 2024 runway collection also introduces styles coated in Airlite® – an antimicrobial treatment that actively purifies the air by safely breaking down pollutants and NO2, moulds and viruses. All Falabella bags feature a monogrammed lining made of ocean plastics and are hand-laced with organic cotton rope through individually punched holes; a process that takes over three hours.
The story of the Falabella is the story of Stella, who launched her brand in 2001 as the first-ever luxury house to never use leather, feathers, fur and skins since day one. This love for animals was instilled in her by her legendary parents, who were leading voices in the early days of the animal rights and vegetarian movements. Paul and Linda McCartney raised Stella in the British countryside, where she spent her childhood on horseback, with the Falabella named for her favourite species of pony.
