Hot on the heels of her Fall 2026 women’s wear presentation in Paris, Stella McCartney has been awarded the Légion d’honneur by President Emmanuel Macron in recognition of her contributions to fashion, sustainability, innovation and animal welfare.
Stella McCartney and Emmanuel Macron (BFA)
McCartney’s relationship with France and French fashion has been central to her career. After early design roles in Paris, including an internship with Christian Lacroix, and her appointment as Creative Director at Chloé in 1997, McCartney has continued to show her own label on the Paris Fashion Week calendar season after season. Her namesake brand grew in partnership first with Kering for 17 years before entering a strategic collaboration with LVMH in 2019, and in 2025 she repurchased LVMH’s minority stake to return to full independence, while remaining as a Global Ambassador on Sustainability to advise LVMH’s executive leadership on environmental strategy.
Over more than two decades, McCartney has championed next-generation materials, transparency, and systemic change across supply chains — advocating for a model of luxury that protects nature, respects animals, and supports long-term environmental progress.
“I am so deeply honored to receive the Légion d’honneur,” said McCartney. “France is a country that has shaped so much of my life and career… this city has always welcomed and supported me, but also challenged and inspired me. This recognition is not just for me, but for my family, my team, the innovators, and the partners who have worked tirelessly and passionately to prove that fashion can be both desirable and responsible. It’s also recognition that luxury fashion houses can think about fashion in a conscious, passionate way without having to compromise on beauty — we are proof. There is still so much to do, but I am still hopeful — and still determined — that together we can reshape our industry to serve nature, all living creatures and future generations.”
The ceremony was attended by McCartney’s friends, family, and business associates, including Naomi Watts, Anna Wintour (herself a recipient of the award in 2011), Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, LVMH’s Delphine and Antoine Arnault, McCartney’s husband Alasdhair Willis, her brother James, and, of course, her father, Sir Paul McCartney.
Nancy Shevell, Mary McCartney, Paul McCartney, Stella McCartney, Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte Macron, Alasdhair Willis, and James McCartney (BFA)
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- Kate Stirling, Naomi Watts, Baz Luhrmann, and Catherine Martin (BFA)
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- Bianca Jagger, Delphine Arnault, Natalia Vodianova, and Xavier Niel (BFA)
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- Gayle King, Paul McCartney, Anna Wintour, Stella McCartney, and Oprah Winfrey (BFA)
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- Camilla Fayed, Vivi Nevo, and Charlotte Casiraghi (BFA)
Many of the ceremony’s guests were also present at McCartney’s most recent runway show which took place Wednesday at Le Grand Manège Jean Caucanas and included live horses in honor of the recent Lunar New Year and the start of the Year of the Horse.
The stunning collection featured plenty of McCartney-isms: ample silhouettes, 80s-inflected shoulder pads and pleated pants, vegan fur and leather alternatives, and moiré, Chantilly lace, and silk jacquards that harkened back to the lingerie influences that informed her earliest collections. It even featured a few versions of the elegant navy skirt suit McCartney wore to the Légion d’honneur ceremony.
Check out the full collection below.
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