LONDON — Stella McCartney has inked a long-term worldwide licensing deal with the Italian company Simonetta, which specializes in children’s wear. Simonetta will begin developing, producing and distributing the Stella McCartney Kids collection beginning with the spring 2022 season.

The brand said the strategic partnership “will turbocharge the growth” of the Stella McCartney Kids business. It added that the collection will be sustainable, with the two companies “coming together to protect the planet for future generations” creating clothing and accessories, “with the least environmental impact.”

Stella McCartney Kids includes styles for girls, boys and babies up to age 16, and is distributed in multibrand shops, department stores and through Stella McCartney stand-alone stores.

Gabriele Maggio, chief executive officer of Stella McCartney, said: “This new partnership with Simonetta will take Stella McCartney Kids to the next level by combining a high level of knowledge and expertise in the category — increasing the brand’s positioning and growth potential across international markets.”

Niccolò Matteo Monicelli, head of Simonetta said his company’s licensing portfolio will be “further and significantly expanded with a prestigious brand that fills us with pride and motivation.”

Stella McCartney works with a number of Italian factories for sustainable sourcing and manufacturing. McCartney’s eco-friendly stretch denim is made with mushroom and seaweed dyes. The fabric is known as Coreva and is made by the Candiani denim mill.

McCartney often shows in Milan due to the brand’s strong supply chain in the region. “A lot of our manufacturers are in Italy, a lot of [our] fabrics were created in Italy, and a lot of people who work in the house of Stella McCartney are Italian. They’ve all embraced us from the start,” she told WWD in an interview in 2018.

Simonetta is a leading company specialized in luxury children’s wear with a sustainable approach to sourcing and manufacturing. In 2017 the company was acquired by Isa Seta SpA. The company manufactures for third parties and also sells its own brand clothing.

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