Met Gala Jewels: Stella McCartney And Vrai Launch Lab-Grown Diamond Collaboration

Pioneering sustainable fashion designer Stella McCartney has given lab-grown diamonds (LGD) her stamp of approval, launching a new collaboration with Vrai at the Met Gala on Monday. McCartney took to the red carpet in a look accessorized with Vrai diamond jewelry, along with her guests, Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn, and Cara Delevingne, who wore 500 carats of diamonds grown in Vrai’s zero-emissions foundry. The outfit has been described by Vrai as “the most sustainable look on this year’s Met Gala red carpet.”

As the face of Stella McCartney Summer 2024, Delevingne stepped out in a custom-made hooded backless bodice covered in Vrai diamonds and a skirt made from recycled chiffon and silk, accessorized with two-inch custom diamond cuffs and a diamond pavé ring. The high-fashion look was co-created by Stella McCartney and Vrai, and made entirely from sustainable materials: “There was no compromise with this piece of couture,” says Mona Akhavi, CEO and president of Vrai. “Stella was very hands-on throughout the process, from sketching out ideas to the final styling. The alignment of our visions was just perfect.”

Ed Sheeran chose diamond cufflinks and a custom diamond-encrusted bowtie, while his wife, Cherry Seaborn, opted for an eye-catching mixed-shape diamond cascade necklace and bracelets, for a combined 100 carats between them. All the pieces were selected with McCartney and according to Vrai, each carat of their LGD saves 143 pounds of carbon, which is the equivalent of recycling 50 pounds of waste.

"Vrai and Stella McCartney are both passionate about advocating for sustainability and leaders in that field, creating more transparency in the fashion industry," says a Stella McCartney representative. "This year made sense to partner with Vrai, as Summer 2024 is Stella McCartney’s most sustainable collection ever yet. It was a long time coming and the Met Gala was the perfect moment to team up and unveil our collaboration."

The bold looks were inspired by the theme of this years Costume Institute Spring exhibition: “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” for which the design teams focused on the idea of renewal, says Akhavi. “The Met Ball is fashion’s biggest night out. It’s all about artistic expression and this year’s theme is perfect for us. Our interpretation with Stella was about rebirth; protecting people and the planet, through cutting-edge technology as two pioneers come together to make a statement on the red carpet. It’s a call for the fashion and fine jewelry industries to wake up and do things differently.” The partnership is expected to continue until the end of the year, with more jewellery launches in the pipeline.

In recent years, Vrai—the direct-to-consumer jewelry brand from lab-grown diamond pioneer Diamond Foundry—has teamed up with increasingly fashion-forward brands like Dover Street Market, Givenchy and celebrity stylists RandM, adding a dash of polish for the style-conscious young LGD core customer. With prices dropping, many such consumers see LGD as a more responsible choice and an entry point to sustainable luxury. Above-ground diamonds do not have the murky supply chain and environmental impact that sometimes comes with mined stones, despite sustained efforts in the mining industry to be more responsible. With an energy-greedy production process however, this can only be true for LGD made in reactors powered by renewable energy, like Vrai’s own certified carbon-neutral foundry, the first of its kind in the world.

“Stella McCartney and Vrai is a perfect fit, it was the right moment for both companies to launch something together,” continues Akhavi. “Stella’s focus on innovative materials is hugely appealing.” As fashion’s best-known responsible designer, McCartney is known for the uncompromising approach that has led her to popularize the use of lab-grown mycelium-based synthetic alternatives to leather, regenerated materials, and recycled fabrics, on a large scale. The current collection, for Summer 2024, is the house’s most sustainable ever, using 95% conscious materials.

For McCartney the collaboration further cements the innovative approach of its founder, who has been a committed fashion environmental activist since starting her brand in 2001. And with a solid mainstream offering for fully customizable diamond jewellery now well established, for Vrai, the project signals a move up the fashion food chain which could even open the doors to the world of couture, which are usually firmly closed.