Where They Were Then: Stella McCartney

Nepotism? Not a part of this story. Stella McCartney may be from a famous brood, but don’t be fooled: This star is self-made. From designing those cooool British outfits for the Olympic opening ceremonies to collabing with just about every big name in the book, Stella has pretty much done it all. Get the scoop on her rise. —callia hargrove

1971 – On September 3, Stella is born…while her parents are touring with their post-Beatles band Wings. She is named after both of her maternal grandmothers.

1980 – When Stella turns nine, her parents decide that they want their kiddies to have a normal life. The answer: living on an organic farm.

1987 - Stella designs her first piece at age 13: a simple and tailored jacket.

1990 – Why not start paying your dues at 16? Stella interns for Ab Fab fave Christian Lacroix as he works on his first collection.

1995 – For her fashion showcase upon graduation from Central St. Martins College of Art & Design, she gets a few buddies to model: Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon, and Kate Moss. Dayum. The show makes front-page news, and the entire collection is sold to Tokio, an über-chic London boutique.

1996 – Stella opens her own shop in London. Her specialty: slip dresses and swishy silk skirts à la Cruel Intentions.

1997 – One day, a mystery man enters the store…who ends up being Mounir Moufarrige, president of Chloé. BAM, creative director. When she shows her first fall collection, with her signature clean lines and sexy silhouettes, she shuts down all of her haters, including Chloé’s previous HBIC Karl Lagerfeld.

2000 – After only five years in the industry, Stella earns herself a VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards 2000 Designer of the Year Award. The presenter: her dad.

2001 – Chloé for everyone! Or at least more people! Stella suggests a whole new division—See by Chloé—that’s more chillaxed and less expensive. In the meantime, she signs a deal with the Gucci Group to launch a label all her own. From day one, she vows to never use fur or leather.

2003 – For her wedding to Alasdhair Willis—mag publisher-turned-furniture designer she DIYs the gown. Course, this isn’t a Singer sewing machine affair, and it’s modeled after her mom’s.

2004 – While creating the costumes for Madonna’s Re-Invention World Tour, Stella teams up with Adidas on activewear (that peeps like Kate Hudson embrace as daywear, too).

2005 – A 40-piece collab with H&M sells out crazy fast. Next stop: Target. Oh, and her first of three kids!

2009 – Here comes a presh capsule collection with Gap Kids—so good that grown-ups were trying on size 14-16 band jackets. Icing on the cake = making the Time 100 list.

2012 – Thanks to her long-standing relationship with Adidas—and, oh yeah, her immense talent—Stella is asked to create all of the outfits for the British national teams for the London Olympics and the Paralympic Games—including those all-white-everything numbers for the opening ceremony.

Get more designer history right over here.