Raffia: Reconnecting craft, community and nature
As fashion has industrialised, much of our connection to the natural world, traditional craft and the communities behind it has been lost.
Stella McCartney continues to work with artisan makers as a way of preserving those relationships – protecting generational knowledge, supporting local ecosystems and creating products with a deeper sense of human connection and longevity.
Raffia is one of the most sustainable materials in the fashion industry. Why? Because the cultivation of raffia involves only the careful hand-pruning (rather than cutting) of the raffia palm, it plays a huge part in sustainable agroforestry practices and benefits both the environment and local communities.
Raffia palms also play a crucial role in soil conservation and erosion control. Planted along riverbanks or in wet areas, the extensive root systems of raffia palms help bind the soil, preventing erosion and promoting stability in areas prone to water movement. These wet areas are often support diverse ecosystems. Planting raffia palms in these areas contributes to biodiversity by providing stable, enriched habitats for various plant and animal species.
Summer of Love 2026
Across the Summer of Love 2026 collection, raffia bags are handcrafted using natural fibres and traditional weaving techniques passed through generations. Making bags in this way helps preserve cultural craft practices that are deeply connected to the land and the ecosystems they come from.
.jpg "Logo Small Crochet Raffia Tote Bag-Beige-medium")
.jpg "Logo Small Crochet Raffia Tote Bag-Beige-medium")
In both Madagascar and Colombia, women play a central role in these artisanal communities. Stella McCartney continues to work with women-led and women-supported craft initiatives because women are often disproportionately impacted by environmental and economic instability. Creating environments where they can work collectively, independently and in rhythm with their local communities is an important part of preserving both craft and opportunity for future generations.
In Madagascar, Stella McCartney continues its ongoing partnership with TANORA – a predominantly female artisan workforce specialising in hand-crocheted raffia. For Summer of Love 2026, the collaboration evolves through new dyed Natural Teak iterations, introducing richer tones and a deeper exploration of texture and colour.
Each raffia fibre is carefully hand-pruned to preserve the health of the palm before being dyed and woven entirely by hand. The partnership with TANORA remains an evolving long-term project focused on continuing to develop, refine and push artisanal raffia craftsmanship forward.
Alongside this, Stella McCartney introduces handwoven iraca palm bags crafted by rural artisan communities in Colombia. Traditionally, men harvest and prepare the fibres whilst women and girls carry out the weaving process by hand – creating structured, architectural bags that can take days to complete. For generations, iraca weaving has helped support women’s financial independence whilst preserving cultural craftsmanship tied closely to the natural environment.
.jpg "Logo Large Rope Basket Bag-Black-medium")
.jpg "Logo Large Rope Basket Bag-Black-medium")
High Summer 2025
Abaca fibres are extracted from the pseudo-stems of banana plants. The pseudo-stem is cut when bananas are harvested and would normally be left to decompose, producing carbon emissions. Zaida Solutions buys this agricultural waste from small-scale local farmers, extracting the fibres and drying them to produce this versatile, vegan material.
Iraca Palm
For our 2025 high summer edit, Iraca palm baskets were crafted by skilled artisans in provincial towns of Columbia. The fibres are harvested by farmers before being coloured, dried and braided by local craftswomen – a circular process that enables women to gain financial independence and emancipation, allowing their children to attend school and break the cycle.
Stella McCartney joined forces with the Ethical Fashion Initiative in Summer 2024. Working with a community group of 50 female artisans from the Karnba Tribe of Kitui, Kenya, called Shalom Pride, locally purchased banana fibres from small-scale farmers were handcrafted into luxury bags. A project offering local women a new source of income and supporting up to 250 beneficiaries across their community and families.
This connection between conscious luxury, artisan craft, women’s empowerment and respect for nature has long defined Stella McCartney’s approach to fashion – proving that sustainability is not separate from desirability, but part of its future.
Shop Stella McCartney’s Summer of Love 2026 collection here. Sign up to be among the first to discover Stella McCartney’s new collections and pioneering material innovations.
