Stella McCartney was told she wouldn’t have a successful accessories line, btu was adamant she was going to prove the naysayers wrong. The 45-year-old fashion designer, who launched her eponymous fashion house in 2001, has revealed “many years ago” she was warned not to create any handbags, or jewellery, but the mogul ignored the advice and took on the challenge. Speaking about her label to South China Morning Post website, Stella – who avoids using animal products in her creations – said: “I was told many years ago that I wouldn’t have a business in accessories.” However, the star ignored the naysayers and was determined to prove people wrong. She said: “I take it as a good challenge. If you can find that aesthetic in design and construct [the bags] in a way that’s mindful, responsible and conscious, then magic happens. Many conventional fashion houses kill animals for leather bags, but they still don’t have that success in design.” And the creative mastermind strives to design clothes, cosmetic products and accessories that are “effortless” for both her male and female customers but do not “compromise on style, design or quality.” She explained: “[My clothes] are subtle and chic but, at the same time, they make a good statement. I want to find that balance and make things effortless and easier for men and women, but also with a point of view. “We’re providing these [sustainable fashion] solutions for mindful and responsible women consumers that are also modern and chic. So we need to provide that for our male consumers too. Nobody is delivering that in a luxurious way and that’s one thing that really inspires me to do menswear. “First and foremost, we are a luxury fashion house so we don’t compromise on style, design or quality. We make desirable, beautiful modern products … I approach the business in a way that I feel is morally correct and modern. It doesn’t mean that [style and luxury] need to be sacrificed.”