The toxicity of red carpet fashion

Format-Lifestyle

Friday, April 28, 2023 08:12 (GMT+7)
08:12 April 28, 2023

Fan Bingbing, Zendaya and other female stars' red carpet outfits may be glamorous, but they're often made from fabrics that are harmful to the environment.

Luxury brands often only go public with their efforts to create a high-end red carpet look. Take Zendaya's candy pink strapless Valentino gown, for example, on the red carpet at the 2023 SAG Awards.

The brand's creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli describes the design: "It took 1,230 hours of work, 190 hand-embroidered roses, 5 hours of sewing for each flower, 42 people involved in the production process... to create the final product."

But what the public doesn’t hear, and what celebrities rarely get asked, is the toxic impact of their thousand-dollar designs on the environment. In a time of global climate change, fashion is one of the biggest polluters.

Zendaya shows off her beauty on the red carpet of the 2023 SAG Awards. Photo: Reuters.

Fashion is harmful to the environment

According to the United Nations, the fashion industry is responsible for 8-12% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Of this, traditional cotton farming uses 4% of pesticides and 10% of herbicides. And fashion accounts for about a fifth of the 300 million tons of plastic consumed each year. This plastic is mainly synthetic fabrics made from petroleum such as polyester, nylon, elastane, synthetic rubber... Globally, two-thirds of clothing contains petrochemical fibers.

Like plastics, these synthetics are not biodegradable and nearly a million microplastics are released from fabrics after washing, seeping into water supplies. Most petrochemical fabrics are used for fast fashion and expensive red carpet wear. Elastane in particular gives gowns and lingerie their stretch.

The most dangerous material is definitely PVC (polyvinyl chloride) - a toxic plastic that causes cancer and infertility. PVC is used for everything in the fashion world, including sequins, shoe heels and the plastic tubes in handbag handles.

The haute couture sector offers designers the opportunity to showcase their talents through meticulously handcrafted pieces commissioned by celebrities. Some of the most influential designs deserve to be displayed in museums – for example, Marilyn Monroe's iconic Jean Louis dress, which is housed at Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum in the US.

"But how many luxury brands are as meticulous about calculating their carbon footprint on the red carpet as they are about showing off the hours invested in a single outfit? Looking at the number of sequined looks on the Oscars red carpet this year, I have some idea," Dana Thomas, author of Fashionopolis: Why What We Wear Matters , told the Hollywood Reporter.

Star Consciousness

Eighty-five percent of clothing ends up in the trash, according to the United Nations. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that a whopping 100 percent of clothing is either landfilled or incinerated every second. "The best way to slow down this process is to re-wear old clothes," writes the Hollywood Reporter .

At this year's Oscars, Cate Blanchett wore a pleated sapphire blue gown from the Louis Vuitton archives, rather than ordering a new one. Meanwhile, Daniel Scheinert - co-director of the Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once - wore a suit bought from a second-hand clothing store.

“The best way to limit your carbon footprint is to buy something that is locally-made,” says Cameron Silver, owner of a high-end boutique in Los Angeles. “Not only will you own a unique, affordable piece of clothing that you can wear over and over again, you’ll also be doing your part to help the environment.”

Cate Blanchett regularly wears old clothes. At the 2020 Venice Film Festival, she posed in a colorful floral embroidered Alexander McQueen dress. This was also the outfit the star promoted at the 2016 BAFTAs.

Cate Blanchett has a new way of mixing old items. Photo: WireImage.

Princess Kate Middleton also aims for sustainable fashion by transforming old items for new looks. At this year's BAFTAs, she exuded elegance in a white off-the-shoulder coat mixed-matched with black gloves. This design was worn by Middleton in 2019, the gloveless version.

Viola Davis, an American actress and producer, bought a pair of Stuart Weitzman heels and has worn them on countless red carpets.

"When you consider that consumers buy 80 billion fashion items every year, a 400% increase from 10 years ago, you realize that this is not good for the planet or for humanity. Therefore, re-wearing old clothes is an effective solution," Blanchett shared.

Sustainable fashion trends

In March, supermodel Heidi Klum asked Dutch designer Ronald van der Kamp to create an eco-friendly jacket and high heels made from American flags for the Green Carpet Fashion Awards.

"Ronald has maintained this mindset for many years. He is one of the people who has helped change the fashion industry for the better," said Livia Firth, head of the awards.

Supermodel Cara Delevingne in Vogue magazine April 2023 issue. Photo: Vogue .

According to the Hollywood Reporter , some fashion companies are working on alternatives to toxic PVC. On the cover of Vogue magazine's April issue, supermodel Cara Delevingne wore a Stella McCartney jumpsuit made of "BioSequins" - sequins derived from plant cellulose, plastic-free, biodegradable.

"BioSequins are even better than conventional fabrics. Who says sustainable fashion can't be sexy?" explains designer McCartney.

Before plant sequins, in 2021, Charlotte McCurdy teamed up with Phillip Lim to create a dress made of seaweed sequins. The dress is free of crude oil derivatives such as synthetic fibers, dyes, and plastic sequins, which have recently been criticized for causing pollution.

In addition to the above materials, linen and tencel are also environmentally friendly plant-based fabrics, which are enthusiastically promoted by fashion houses.

"So many celebrities are embracing sustainable lifestyles. That's something to be applauded," says Suzy Amis Cameron, co-founder of RCGD Global, an organization that puts environmental and social sustainability first.

The Entertainment section introduces a series of books on fashion: French Elegance is one of three famous works on the subject of French style - Parisian Chic. The Devil Wears Prada offers an inside look into the world of magazines and fashion. Dress Code offers everyday combinations for ordinary outfits.

Quoc Minh

red carpet fashion Marilyn Monroe Fan Bingbing Fan Bingbing fashion Oscar red carpet Zendaya sustainable fashion