This is the incredible story behind Tati Gabrielle and Paloma Garcia Lee's 2022 Oscars looks
This year's return to the 'in-real-life' Oscars ceremony reminded us why the pinnacle night of red carpet dressing still has the power to create looks that define a decade (Icelandic singer Bjork as a swan, anyone?). Yet, the fact that the Oscars red carpet now includes a conversation on sustainable fashion is, arguably, down to one woman's vision: Suzy Amis Cameron – the environmentalist wife of Academy Award-winning director James Cameron.
In 2009, Cameron found herself bewildered at the lack of responsible fashion options to wear for an awards evening that saw Avatar nominated nine times. The result? A competition for any designer worldwide over 21 to sketch a 'sustainable' design with the winner worn by a talent to the Oscars.
"I really only ever envisioned the idea being for that one year, but after the winner Jillian Granz created this beautiful design and (Titanic costume designer) Deb Scott – who was helping build the dress – found that children were, in fact, harvesting the piece of silk we wanted to use, I realised that it was not only an environmental issue but a social one too. I couldn't just leave it there," reflects Amis Cameron. And so Red Carpet Green Dress (RCGD) was born, a female-led organisation and platform that aims to "bring sustainability to the forefront of the conversation" through a multicultural lens - currently, they incorporate 21 countries across the globe.