Stella McCartney Shares Her Connection to a Jeff Koons Artwork that Sparked A Recent Fashion Collaboration
The fashion designer drew influence from the artist’s 2006 work Untitled (Girl with Dolphin and Monkey)
Jeff Koons has been a part of my world for as long as I can remember. His work has this incredible mix—it can be so joyful and disarming, but then suddenly you realize how much depth sits underneath it. That tension between innocence and something more philosophical has always spoken to me.
Jeff and I have known each other for decades, but there was an early moment when we just sat and talked—not about work but about our kids, why we create, what drives us. It was very open and human. That’s when it shifted to a real friendship. This work first makes me smile, but then it draws you into a place of reflection. That duality is so meaningful for me as a designer. Fashion can be playful and emotional at the same time. Jeff’s sensibility carries elation and wit, but also so much thoughtfulness. We share a belief in bringing a bit of light and humor into the world. Coming together again felt like the most natural thing; it was genuinely inspiring.
Art has always been a huge part of my life. Growing up around creative people taught me to trust my eye, to be instinctive, to not take the process too seriously. That has shaped everything: the way I design and the way I live.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2026 Spring Issue under the section “In Focus.” Subscribe to the magazine.