Born and raised in London and the English countryside, Stella McCartney graduated from Central St Martins in 1995. A signature style of sharp tailoring, natural confidence and sexy femininity was immediately apparent in her first collection and after only two collections, in 1997, she was appointed the Creative Director of Chloe in Paris and enjoyed great success during her tenure. In 2001, Stella McCartney launched her own fashion house under her name in a joint venture with Gucci Group (now PPR’s luxury division) and showed her first collection in Paris in October 2001. A lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her designs. Her collections include women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, eyewear, fragrance and organic skincare. Stella McCartney now operates 16 freestanding stores in locations including Manhattan’s Soho, London’s Mayfair and Brompton Cross, LA’s West Hollywood, Paris’ Palais Royal, Milan and Tokyo. Her collections are now distributed in over 50 countries through 600 wholesale accounts including specialty shops and department stores. In addition to the main line collection, a long-term partnership with adidas was introduced in September 2004. The critically acclaimed sports performance collection “adidas by Stella McCartney,” has since successfully grown to include several athletic disciplines including running, gym, yoga, tennis, swimming, golf, winter sports and cycling. In 2003, Stella McCartney launched her first perfume “Stella.” In November 2005, the hugely successful one-off collection “Stella McCartney for H&M” sold out worldwide in record time. In 2008, a new lingerie line was launched. In November 2010 Stella McCartney Kids was launched, a collection catering for newborns and children up to the age of 12. In September 2011 Stella McCartney’s costume designs for the New York City Ballet’s Ocean’s Kingdom premiered in New York. For the Olympic Summer Games in 2012, Stella McCartney was appointed Team GB’s Creative Director by adidas - the first time in the history of the games that a leading fashion designer has designed the apparel for a country’s team across all competitions for both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games. Also in 2012; L.I.L.Y, her latest fragrance launched. In celebration of London in 2012, Stella McCartney presented a one-off capsule evening collection during London Fashion Week. The following awards have recognized Stella McCartney’s achievement in fashion and social awareness: VH1/Vogue Fashion and Music 2000 Designer of the Year Award (2000, NY), the Woman of Courage Award for work against cancer at the prestigious Unforgettable Evening event (2003, LA), the Glamour Award for Best Designer of the Year (2004, London), the Star Honoree at the Fashion Group International Night of the Stars (2004, NY), the Organic Style Woman of the Year Award (2005, NY), the Elle Style Award for Best Designer of the Year Award (2007, London), Best Designer of The Year at the British Style Awards (2007, London), Best Designer of The Year at the Spanish Elle Awards (2008, Barcelona), the Green Designer of the Year at the ACE Awards (2008, NY), in 2009 she was honoured by the NRDC, featured in the Time 100 and recognized as a Glamour magazine Woman of the Year, in 2011 she was presented with the Red Carpet Award by the British Fashion Council. Most recently in March 2012 she was presented the Brand of the Year - Women at the 16th annual Luxury Briefing Awards in London.