Emma Watson made headlines (and best-dressed lists) when she revealed the material makeup of her Met Gala gown. In an interview for CNN Style, Watson sat down with Derek Blasberg to provide some context for Sunday night's statement-making ensemble — and to explain why you'll likely spot those custom Calvin Klein pieces on future red carpets.
In case you missed it, Watson wore a dress made from recycled water bottles to this year's Met Gala. Created by Calvin Klein Collection in conjunction with sustainable brand consultancy Eco Age, the multi-part ensemble is made of three different fabrics, all fashioned from reused plastic. "It's actually taking something that is a massive pollutant on our planet, which is plastic bottles, and its finding a way to repurpose that," Watson said in the interview. Plus, every part of the garment — down to the zippers and the inside of the bustier — is made with sustainable materials, the actress wrote on Facebook.
"I made a choice last year that I would only wear sustainable fashion on the red carpet," Watson told CNN. "[The fashion industry] has such a huge environmental impact; it has such a big human impact. It's not just enough anymore that it's a beautiful item or it's a beautiful piece — I want to know that it's not leaving a negative mark."
If you follow the actress and her stylist, Sarah Slutsky, on Instagram, you'll see their commitment to transparency. Following each event, Slutsky will break down every part of Watson's look to detail how each brand contributes to conscious manufacturing — which Emma then reposts to her own feed.
However, Watson revealed that the recycling aspect of the ensemble goes beyond its composition: She fully plans on wearing it again. "I tried to create a dress with my stylist which had lots of different elements, which I'll be able to reuse and rewear" the actress explained. Her look was comprised of five individual pieces — including a pair of trousers, a bustier, and a skirt — with the intention of styling them differently at a later date.
Eco Age is really serious about the idea of getting a lot of mileage out of every item in your closet: The organisation advocates getting at least 30 wears out of any given garment, a concept first introduced by journalist Lucy Siegle and adopted by the company's founder and creative director Livia Firth. (There's even a hashtag for it.)
"Consumers really underestimate the power that they have," Watson told CNN. "If you buy something, do you think you're going to wear it 30 times? If you can commit to that, then that's a sustainable purchase."
In a video diary for Cinematique and Editorialist, Slutsky speaks about how an event as high profile as the Met Gala can be a platform for conscious fashion: "For someone to attend the Met Gala, when the public eye is on them... [People expect] to see some of the best fashion in the world, but then to also hear that the same individual has considered the design process from start to finish and all the hands that touch the clothes? I think that's really powerful, and makes us all stop and think about the choices we're making with our fashion," Slutsky says. "It really delivers a strong message that it's not just about this one incredible red carpet moment."
Watson, too, believes that the idea goes beyond one-night-only glamour. "Fashion is something that touches our lives every single day — we get dressed every single day," she said. "I want to look good, I want to feel good, I want to do good — and that, for me, is luxury."
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