Sustainability Gaining Major Credibility In Fashion Industry

Emma Watson explained on Facebook that she was making a strong environmental statement in her often-preferred dress-over-pants outfit for this year's Met Gala.

“The body of the gown is crafted from three different fabrics, all woven from yarns made from recycled plastic bottles (!). Plastic is one of the biggest pollutants on the planet. Being able to repurpose this waste and incorporate it into my gown for the ‪#‎MetGala proves the power that creativity, technology and fashion can have by working together.

"Each and every part of this beautiful gown has been produced with sustainability in mind, even the components that you can’t see. The zippers on the gown are made from recycled materials and the inner bustier has been crafted from organic cotton.

"It is my intention to repurpose elements of the gown for future use. The trousers can be worn on their own, as can the bustier, the train can be used for a future red carpet look… I’m looking forward to experimenting with this. Truly beautiful things should be worn again and again and again. #30wears"

Emma Watson's dress was designed by the Calvin Klein design team, one of three red carpet looks executed with Livia Firth's ongoing Green Carpet Challenge and Eco Age. Lupita Nyong'o and Margot Robbie joined Watson in a sophisticated execution of the Met Gala's 'Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology' theme.

Related on AOC: Andrew Bolton Gets Personal About Fashion & Technology As Met's 'Manus x Machine' Exhibit Opens

Lupita Nyong'o, Margot Robbie join Emma Watson in wearing Calvin Klein gowns designed to meet Livia Firth's Green Carpet challenge.

Livia Firth at Chopard Party in Cannes

Livia Firth stepped out in Cannes this weekend, refusing to splurge on a new gown and wearing her mother's 1968 vintage coral dress once modelled by her mother in the Italian resort of Viareggio.  Last year, Firth launched her documentary 'The True Cost' Fashion Industry Documentary, featured on AOC one year ago today. 

It's no accident that Firth is featured at a Chopard Jewelry party in Cannes, given her unique partnership with the luxury jewelry brand 'Journey to Sustainable Luxury', with its focus on forging a philanthropic relationship with South America's most influential mining NGO, the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM).

In Cannes Olivia dazzled in ethically-sourced emerald jewelry, a collaboration by Chopard and Gemfields, the world's leading producer of colored gemstones. Firth was not alone, joined by Julianne Moore, featured last week wearing Chopard for a David Roemer feature in Grazia Italia.

Moore's emerald earrings are part of the same Chopard and Gemfields collaboration with Olivia Firth.

Denmark Will Lead Responsible Innovation Fashion Movement

Sustainability Is Out, Responsible Innovation Is In Business of Fashion

A main message of the fourth Copenhagen Fashion Summit was the need for bold, new business models for the fashion industry. I can imagine many American millennials objecting, but sustainability is out and responsible innovation is in, writes BOF.

Kristian Jensen, Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs noted that in so many ways, Copenhagen was evidence of responsible innovation. Denmark is the world’s most energy efficient nation and has now set the explicit goal of becoming the world’s first sustainable fashion nation.

Rick Ridgeway, vice president of public engagement for Patagonia, fired up the audience with the mission that lies at the heart of Patagonia’s business: “Build the best product, and cause no unnecessary harm,” which Ridgeway acknowledged is very hard to do, but an essential part of how Patagonia works.

He made a passionate call for companies to design products in a way that will last. “As the usable lifetime of our products increases, the lifetime environmental footprint decreases,” he explained, describing how the company enables its customers to repair, resell and recycle Patagonia products in order to extend their life. Patagonia has created North America’s largest repair centre and offers mobile repair vehicles that travel around the United States to restore damaged products — free of charge.

Ridgeway was introduced by summit cohost, supermodel Amber Valletta, who called him "the real Indiana Jones". Valetta also arrived at the Met Gala in sustainable style, wearing a custom H&M dress

"It's cool to be in conscious couture!" Valletta told Fashionista over the phone as she got prepped in her hotel room. "It was such a great fit because they wanted to make something that was responsibly made. To me, that is where fashion and technology are meeting, and it's also modern, the way all businesses are going to be moving now."