Stella McCartney really does fight for her cause! For the past few years, Stella, notorious for her vegetarian approach to fashion, has been working alongside PETA to try and get the Ministry of Defence to lose their ceremonial furs in their uniforms. Bearskin hats have been worn by the guards since the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 where they were taken when they defeated Napoleon’s bearskin-wearing Imperial Guard, and thousands of tourists come to witness the guards in their iconic uniform at Buckingham Palace everyday. Last week PETA met with the Minister to propose their animal friendly, Stella designed alternative; a cooler and lighter plastic fibre hat working on a technology called Bear 28.
“Initially the big bear fur hats were intended to make soldiers look taller as they marched over hills in battle, but they haven’t been worn in action for over a hundred years,” says McCartney. “I’ve been working on this with PETA for a few years now and am really happy with the final product, as I hope the MoD will be when they see it.”
The British Olympic team shall be sporting Stella come the next Olympics, so why shouldn’t the guards get to be as ethically chic?  Expect to see the Royal Family in Stella for Adidas tracksuits next!

Grace Joel