Stella McCartney thinks people in the fashion industry are "heartless?"

Stella McCartney can think of no other reason why animal hides are used in so many fashion lines.

She said: "I find it astounding, because fashion is supposed to be about change - I mean, we're supposed to be about cutting edge! I can only think they don't care as much as people in other industries. So, yes, I think people in fashion are pretty heartless. Why on earth would they use fur and leather otherwise?

"There's no excuse for fur in this day and age. Baby kids are boiled alive. Foxes are anally electrocuted. If that's not heartless, what is?"

The 38-year-old designer is determined to ensure her clothes look as beautiful as possible even though they are made of unusual fabrics.

Although she is not an environmentalist she does try to take the planet into account when making her collections.

She explained to Britain's The Guardian newspaper: "The main thing I need to do is create, hopefully, exquisitely beautiful, desirable objects for my customer. If I can make you not notice that it happens to be out of biodegradable fake suede, if I can make you not notice that it hasn't killed cows or goats or unborn baby lambs, then I'm doing my job.

"I don't want to do scratchy, oatmeal-coloured things, that defeats the object. I try really hard, but if now and again I have to dye a bag using chemicals that are not as low in environmental impact as I'd like, in order to get a brighter colour, then I will do that."