For sustainable fashion to exist, it has to be desirable. For sustainable athleticwear to exist, it has to perform. Stella McCartney excels in both areas, and her 13-year partnership with Adidas has covered many of sustainability’s biggest breakthroughs—zero-water dyes, leggings in recycled polyester, sneakers made from recovered ocean plastic. Last season, she introduced 100-percent recycled polyester for the first time—until then, she could only use a percentage of it in her blended materials—and Spring 2018 marks her most sustainable offering to date.
Like all of her Adidas lineups, this one was broken into three groups: running, training, and yoga. For runners, there’s a new Ultraboost X with the brand’s most responsive cushioning ever, while yoga enthusiasts should bookmark the soft, completely seamless tanks and leggings, which are made from organic cotton and yarns with recycled plastic, part of McCartney’s ongoing partnership with Parley for the Oceans. No matter what your workout regimen, the new rosy pink duffel would stand out in a sea of black—and in 100 percent recycled poly, it does a lot less harm than everyone else’s nylon sacks too.
On the runway, McCartney’s color sense is unrivaled, and her Adidas collections have become increasingly brighter to match. This season’s looks came in unexpected color pairings: rose pink and saffron, hunter green and orange, lavender and navy. They’re clothes that make you actually want to get up and hit the gym. In the future, you might expect a few other carry-overs from McCartney’s ready-to-wear, particularly the new materials she’s been experimenting with. Her recent Paris show included a dress made from spider silk (which doesn’t require killing the insects, like regular silk) and a super-soft new faux leather, which she used on dresses and accessories. How great would it be if that made it onto Adidas sneakers and gym bags too?
