Gemma Ward

On December 2, eco-conscious designer Stella McCartney released the newest version of vegan Stan Smith Adidas sneakers. The faux-leather shoes feature the same classic style as the originals—made in honor of legendary tennis player Stan Smith—but come with rainbow-hued shoelaces and colorful star patterns along the sides. “Consumers really are more conscious of where things come from now, and how they are made,” McCartney told Vogue. “But I think many people don’t really care or can’t tell the difference between the real leather and faux leather pair. It just makes me think how many animals’ lives could be saved if Stan Smith and Adidas would change from real leather to vegetarian leather, and use non-animal-based glues like we use.” In 2018, McCartney released the first version of the sneaker, which featured recycled polyurethaneinstead of animal leather, a color-block heel with McCartney’s signature, and embossed tongues with McCartney’s portrait on the right and Stan Smith’s on the left—elements she retained in the second edition. “The launch of our vegan Stan Smith brought us a whole new customer which was predominantly the younger generation,” McCartney said. “So many young people came into our stores to enquire about the Stan Smith, asking questions about what the trainer [sneaker] was made with, telling our staff about why it was important for them to choose a vegan shoe over a leather one, and what it represented. This is the future.”