'Billions of birds' killed for fashion says designer McCartney

TDT | Manama

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British designer Stella McCartney lamented the "billions of birds" that have been killed to make people look good after her Paris show on Monday in which she appealed for the fashion world to change its ways.

The campaigning creator who has blazed a trail for sustainable style, provocatively called her show "It's about... time" -- a reference to a T-shirt she first wore 25 years ago calling for an end to the use of fur and feathers in fashion.

"I see things from a different perspective," said the designer after her open-air show near the Eiffel Tower showcased top end looks made from everything from lentils to mushroom leather.

"I've just been thinking about the billions of birds killed for the fashion industry," McCartney told reporters, yet "for me they represent freedom, they represent purity and peace".

The designer, the daughter of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and animal rights activist Linda McCartney, is an advisor to the world's most powerful luxury tycoon, Bernard Arnault, on sustainability.

Arnault's LVMH giant also owns a stake in her label. Bird motifs dominated McCartney's spring-summer show, where she married her trademark business suits and jackets -- this season oversized with big shoulders -- with diaphanous and transparent blouses and dresses.