The funny thing about Stella McCartney is that when she started in this industry she was probably first and foremost known as Sir Paul McCartney's daughter. Now, after years of hard work and unquestionable success, Stella is known as a designer before her prior preferred moniker. Of course, it is impossible to biographize Stella McCartney without mentioning her Beatle-y upbringing as the child of Sir Paul and his late wife, Linda McCartney. Despite her privileged upbringing, her parents made a concerted effort to raise her and her siblings as "normally" as possible.

Stella first became interested in designing clothes when she was 12, and the first thing she made was a jacket - not an easy feat for a novice. Clearly it was a sign! A few years later she interned for Christian Lacroix on his first fashion collection and perfecting her skills while working on Savile Road in London. Of course, talent aside, Stella's upbringing and celebrifriendly lifestyle did not hurt her in her pursuits of fashion greatness - like landing an internship with Lacroix before even attending fashion school. She graduated from St. Martins College of Art and Design in 1995 and her graduation show was modeled by close friends Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, both of whom had already achieved superstardom in their own rights. The designs from her graduation show were such a hit, they were immediately sold into stores and there was the beginning of Stella's professional fashion career.

After two collections she was appointed the Creative Director for the House of Chloe in Paris. Rumors suggest that Vendome, the company that owns Chloe, hired Stella not only for her talent but also for the massive wave of publicity that would come along with her appointment. Nepotism at its finest. Of course as many people know nepotism can only carry someone so far, and her raw talent proved her worth immediately with her first collection at Chloe. Stella resigned from the house in 2001 in order to start her own namesake brand and fashion line, which she successfully did under the umbrella of the Gucci Group.

As a strict vegetarian, Stella never uses leather or fur in any of her designs - how chic-ly PETA, no? Her first collection was for Spring 2002 and showed in Paris in October 2001. She now has three flagship stores - New York's Meatpacking District, Mayfair, London and West Hollywood, CA. In 2005, Stella launched a line of clothing for H&M that sold out, worldwide, in a matter of hours. In the course of her short career, she has designed Madonna's wedding dress, designed the costumes/clothes for a number of films and concert tours, and maintained a successful personal and family life all the while. She has two children with husband Alasdhair Willis and currently lives in London.

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