Kendall Jenner may no longer be a regular face on the catwalk - largely due to her taking a step back in order to prioritise her mental health - but when it comes to high fashion she certainly still knows how to create a major moment. Her latest? As the face (and body!) of Stella McCartney's Winter 2023 collection.
Entitled ‘Horse Power’ and shot in the Camargue Salt Flats of France by the iconic Harley Weir, the campaign sees the keen horsewoman modelling alongside - and on top of - the region's famed white ponies.
“I knew this season’s Stella girl had to love horses as much as I do,” explained Stella. “Kendall has been riding since she was a kid, just like me, and has her own ranch; you can see how at ease she is around these sensitive creatures, and them with her.”
“Horses have a strength that is almost hard for humans to understand,” Kendall told GLAMOUR UK, “and even though I can't communicate with them directly, I feel that the ones I've cared for have always lent that strength to me. They are great reminders that mother nature connects with all of us deep within.”
The striking images see Kendall wearing some of the collection's stand out designs made from groundbreaking material innovations. A series of crocodile-effect leather-look bags are crafted from apple waste, while riding boots have been made using grape waste.
Believe it or not, the official start of winter is only just arriving.
Many of the collection's accessories have also been crafted from fungi mycelium, which is a full natural and circular byproduct of fungi that's able to be recycled into new materials or returned to the earth as nutrients.
Away from the accessories - and proving not only her commitment to ethical progression but her brand's transparency too - it has been revealed that this ready-to-wear offering has been crafted from 92% conscious materials, making it Stella's most responsible winter collection to date.
And perhaps her most beautiful campaign?
Provided by horse whisperer and rescuer Jean-Francois Pignon - who raises and retrains horses to follow direction without the need for physical contact - the ponies presence in the images serve as something of a flashback to Stella's autumn/winter 2023 Paris Fashion Week runway, which saw Jean-Francois choreograph seven dappled grey horses as they galloped across the sandy equestrian centre of France’s oldest riding school, Manège de L’École Militaire.
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While some initially jolted at the seemingly-dancing horses and questioned the ethics of such a display, you don't need to be a particularly well-read fashion fan to know that Stella McCartney and animal ethics go hand-in-hand.
After all, if anyone in the industry is going to be trusted for their treatment of animals it's Stella McCartney, who - in her label's 22 years - has never used leather, feathers, fur or skins and devotes both her own and her brand's public platform to educating everyone from manufacturers and designers to stylists and shoppers about animal-free fabric alternatives.
“Through working with Jean Francois and his beautiful wild horses, initially at the show and now for the campaign, I wanted to show that you can have a relationship with an animal of that magnitude,” explains Stella.
“A wild animal that can be at one with you. It's like a gift that nature gives us. I am in awe of Jean-Francois and the love, respect and trust he shows are possible between humans and horses.”
The Stella McCartney winter 2023 collection will be available to shop in store and at selected retailers worldwide and online at stellamccartney.com shortly.
For more from Glamour UK's Fashion Editor Charlie Teather, follow her on Instagram @charlieteather.
