The title of song of the summer undoubtedly belongs to enigmatic Berlin artist HorsegiirL, whose track “My Barn My Rules” has been played almost constantly across dancefloors and TikTok’s FYP alike for a good three months now. It’s also a track that chimes with the direction of Stella McCartney’s latest campaign, which features famous horse girl Kendall Jenner and a pretty impressive white steed.
Following on from McCartney’s AW23 show, when the designer enlisted horse-whisperer Jean-Francois Pignon to bring a troupe of his horses to the Paris runway, the Horse Power campaign was shot in the Camargue salt flats of Southern France by Harley Weir. Don’t think you get that up-close-and-personal with the clothes though: the lead photo sees equine enthusiast Jenner butt-naked bar a pair of brown cow stunning boots and a matching tote bag. Maybe the clothes are all in there!
“I knew this season’s Stella girl had to love horses as much as I do,” McCartney explained of the casting. “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. Capturing this connection brings Horse Power to life, both through the fashion and the vision.”
The aftermath of the Paris show unsurprisingly saw animal welfare groups like Peta frothing at the mouth of the use of horses in a fashion show, with the brand quick to point out the ponies were left to their own devices throughout – Pignon has spent much of his life rescuing and raising abandoned animals “without the need for human contact” and his well-trained eye is sharp enough to recognise when his horses are uncomfortable or in distress.
The collection itself – as almost seen on Jenner – was crafted using a series of innovative, boundary-pushing materials and methods, with mushroom leather Mycelium a key fabric alongside apple and grape waste, which were both used to craft riding boots and bags. In fact, the whole offering was made up of 92 per cent conscious materials, which makes it the house’s most responsible line-up to date.