Slow Fashion Highlights from the Award Season 2024
THE 96TH ACADEMY AWARDS (THE OSCARS) WERE LAST SUNDAY, CLOSING THE AWARD SEASON UNTIL NEXT YEAR. IT GIVES US THE CHANCE TO INDULGE IN ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE ACTIVITIES - TO DISCUSS ALL OF THE LOOKS AND ALSO TO SEE WHICH CELEBRITIES HAVE UPPED THEIR SUSTAINABILITY GAME!
words by HOLLY KELSEY
creative direction by SARAH MARIE DAY
photographs by GETTY IMAGES
Social media is always abuzz with delight about each outfit worn on the red carpets throughout awards season. Whether it’s the Oscars, the Golden Globes or the the Bafta’s across the pond, they’re always stand out occasions in the fashion calendar and some of the most talked about outfits of the year. With that in mind, Suzy Amis Cameron created the Red Carpet Green Dress (RCGD) campaign in 2009 which highlights sustainable red carpet looks for over a decade. In 2022, RCGD created a partnership with the Academy and wrote the first sustainable red carpet style guide for the event’s attendees.
THE ACADEMY’S SUSTAINABLE STYLE GUIDE
Since 2022, the Sustainable Red Carpet Fashion Guide was slightly adjusted, but it’s still in place and more relevant than ever. This year, the Academy partnered with Black Pearl, Rent The Runway and Three Squares Inc for a sustainable styling approach. The guide gives stylists and the stars tips on how to combine elegance with ethics on the red carpet. They highlight the options of choosing vintage fashion, rental outfits for the special occasion, choose sustainable fabrics and finishing touches (such as ethically minded gem stones or plant-based leather accessories) and suggest choosing timeless designs that can be reworn or redesigned into something new after the Oscar’s. This is such a major step in a positive direction for sustainable fashion!
TOP 10 SUSTAINABLE LOOKS FROM THIS YEAR’S AWARD SEASON
One thing we notices this year during the Oscar’s (especially the Vanity Fair afterparty) were all the stunning, timelessly styled vintage outfits inspired by old Hollywood glamour. The Golden Globes and BAFTA Film Awards also had a few stunning archival pieces. Other celebrities aimed for dresses made from sustainable materials, such as deadstock or upcycled fabrics. These were some of our favorites sustainable outfits on the red carpet from this year’s award season:
01 / Lily Rabe wore a Marc Jacobs gown from the 2006 collection, sourced via Aralda Vintage to the Oscar’s after-party.
02 / Cardi B went for an Atelier Versace gown from the Spring/Summer 2003 collection, sourced from Tab Vintage to the Oscar’s after-party.
03 / Sydney Sweeney chose an archive white halter-neck gown by Marc Bouwer to the Oscar’s after-party, which Angelina Jolie had worn to the Oscars in 2004.
04 / Suleika Jaouad wore a custom Atelier Jolie to the Oscar’s red carpet, made from vintage and up-cycled fabrics, it featured an illustration by the artist Chaz Guest on the back of the dress.
05 / Jennifer Lawrence chose a white lace dress from Givenchy’s Autumn/Winter 1996 collection to the Oscar’s after-party.
06 / Margot Robbie wore a gold Mugler corset bodysuit from Spring/Summer 1996 with a gold shawl to the Oscar’s after-party.
07 / Elle Fanning chose Balmain, wearing a beautiful strapless white silk gown from the 1960s to the Golden Globes.
08 / Quinta Brunson also wore a custom Balmain dress that had used 130,000 up-cycled crystals to the Golden Globes.
09 / Cate Blanchett wore a custom Louis Vuitton BAFTAs look, which was made from deadstock fabrics.
10 / Vivian Oparah selected a 1996 Gucci by Tom Ford backless black silk dress as her BAFTAs look.
Each year more and more sustainable looks feature on the red carpets - be it from slow fashion designers, archival pieces or rental fashion. The most sustainable outfits we’ve seen during awards season this year were vintage and we hope in the future we see a lot more slow fashion brands and sustainable innovations. We can’t wait to see how much the trend continues to grow and how it will influence the tone of fashion for the coming year!
FURTHER READING
