Celebrity fashion rarely involves wearing a gown twice unless of course you’re Kate Middleton, master of the repurposed wardrobe. But for stars involved in Livia Firth’s Green Carpet Challenge, repurposing and recycling are red-carpet worthy goals. Emily Blunt is the most recent participant and premiered an eco-friendly Tory Burch Ethel gown at the Toronto International Film Festival. Promoting her latest film Arthur Newman (which coincidentally stars Livia’s husband Colin Firth), Blunt’s gown was made from 100% reclaimed silk tulle accessorized with a recycled brass necklace.
“I am so happy to support Livia Firth and the Green Carpet Challenge by wearing a gorgeous eco-friendly gown,” said Blunt. “Livia’s passion and dedication to this project are truly inspiring, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
And while the red carpet is still slim on green fashions, eco-friendly creations are staring to make a stronger appearance on runways. At last week’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NYC, newish designer Nina Skarra debuted her eco-friendly Spring/Summer 2013 Collection. Nina Skarra’s line is one of the few sustainable fashion lines. This was an event of firsts as the event was the first in New York Fashion Week Mercedes Benz history that a show was produced by an all African American production team, MVC Management Productions run by Tai Chunn with PR and front of house management Beautiful Planning Marketing & PR (BPMPR) run by Monique Tatum. Nina being a designer only in the business for 4 years was pushed into the Mercedes Benz spotlight as Tai Chunn noticed a lack of Scandinavian presence within NYC fashion and brought Nina to the forefront within IMG. Celebrities from Lil Kim to Angela Simmons packed the front row of her show to take in Skarra’s family-inspired line. Using her mother and grandmother as style icons, the clothes took their style cues from the glamorous roaring 20’s as well as the stylish St. Tropez of the 1960’s incorporating blush pinks and ivories with silver tones and sky blue hues.
While honoring her past, Skarra also looked to the future. At the core of her designs is an ambition to make ‘global impact’ a top priority on the fashion agenda. Her design process not only takes in the line of a gown or the cut of a suit but also the entire footprint of a product from raw material to disposal. Skarra focuses on a sustainable production process and chooses materials such as silk, wool, eco leather, organic cotton and bamboo, all of which are 100% biodegradable.
And while Skarra’s eco-friendly line was a drop of water in the ocean of fashion at Fashion Week, green designs will take the spotlight at the upcoming Eco Fashion Week. Hosted in Vancouver the week of October 16 – 19, the event brings together more than 2,000 VIPs, buyers, designers, stylists, photographers and media to attend shows and seminars.
According to founder Myriam Laroche, explains: “Integrity is the core our being; our team intrinsically believes, that by educating, supporting, and promoting sustainability, from process to product – sourcing, design, production, distribution, purchase, and use – we can create a space that transforms personal responsibility to global change. “
Sponsors for the event included Beautiful Planning Marketing & PR, SoftSheen Carsons Dark & Lovely, Lamik Beauty, Katherine Lindman, Pink Rooster Studios, The Desbas Group, 3Eleven Creative, 1800 Coconut, Sign Expo, Keymanna Management, Fumi’s Fashion Files & Brody & Branch LLP.
For more green styling options, visit Green Earth Design’s section on Bamboo Fashion!
