Top Celebs Who Champion Sustainable Fashion (Even on the Red Carpet)
We’ve all done it. You see your favorite celeb wearing a cute top and the next thing you’re on SHEIN, Temu, or even Zara trying to get something similar for under $50. It’s a cinch to hop onto the fast-fashion bandwagon, especially when you can look chic and stylish on the cheap.
But fast-fashion comes with a bag full of nasty stuff behind the scenes. That’s why more and more designers, celebrities, and fashionistas are now rooting for green fashion. They not only champion sustainable fashion but they choose sustainable pieces everyday (even on the red carpet) that feel good to wear and look dashing.
Why green fashion is the way to go
Fast-fashion brands push about 100 billion garments in our face every year, but we end up wearing only 13%. Let that sink in. That means an insane 87 billion fast-fashion pieces of clothing find their way into our landfills, incinerators, or worse, our oceans.
You, me, and (fortunately a bunch of our celebs) can do something about it. You can buy green fashion to do your bit. Celebs can wear or advocate for sustainable fashion to make their small dent. However, lawmakers can do much more by pushing regulations and public policy in the face of fast-fashion.
You see, public policy isn’t rocket science. Regulations often do more good than bad, especially when applied well to industries and companies that can cause direct or indirect harm (no matter how minute) to us.
FDA regulations, for instance, go a very long way to ensure medications we consume are effective and safe for human use, while gaming regulators all over the world set strict laws and policies that operators must follow to prevent problem gambling, which is discussed in detail on this website, from rearing its ugly head. The same should be true for pushing the sustainable fashion regulations for our planet and public good.
Now, let’s beam the spotlight onto our A-listers and celebs who are doing a bang-up job on calling for green styles, clothing, and fashion.
Emma Watson
Emma Watson is the sustainable fashion’s poster child. The Harry Potter actress wears no fast-fashion piece. If you know Vogue, you may remember her silk vintage dress from the 1970s on the red carpet.
During her Beauty and the Beast press tour in 2017, Emma told the team that she would not come out if they did dress her in an all-eco outfit. We cannot forget the time she stepped out in a CK dress drabbed entirely from recycled plastic bottles.
Miss Watson is also the face of People Tree, an ethical fashion brand, and sits on the board of Kering, the luxury brand group that is pushing for green fashion.
Kate Middleton
As we have come to expect from the fancy-dressing Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton does good for sustainable fashion in her own way. Unlike most royals, she rewears her outfits, and often favours Gabriela Hearst designs. After rocking a decade-old Alexander McQueen dress at the the 2021 Earthshot Prize ceremony, she made a simple but ever-reverberating message that outfit repeating is perfectly acceptable, even for royalty.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Some people say Leo is the most eco-friendly celeb out there, and we think they are dead right. The Django actor goes beyond delivering pro-climate change speeches at the Oscars. He also lives the eco life through his clothing, lifestyle, and charity work. As an early investor in Allbirds, the eco-forward shoe brand, we know he also practices what he preaches.
Stella McCartney
Being a celeb and a designer at once, Stella McCartney deserves double credit. She’s been pushing for sustainable fashion since founding her label in 2001, long before it was fashionable to do so. Following her vegetarian parents’ footsteps (yes, her dad is Sir Paul McCartney), she refuses to use leather or fur in any of her designs. In 2018, she partnered with the UN to launch a charter for sustainable fashion.
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish is Gen Z’s sustainable style icon. Her baggy, gender-neutral outfits go in the face of fast fashion’s tight, trend-eating pieces. At the 2022 Met Gala, the Therefore I Am singer wowed in a Gucci dress made entirely from upcycled materials. Some celebs do not dare to do that.
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde keeps it simple with a less is more philosophy when it comes to sustainable fashion. She buys vintage clothing and pieces that won’t go out of style. Don’t be surprised to run into her at your local thrift store, where she looks for vintage clothes and recycled jewelry. At the 2019 Independent Spirit Awards, Wilde wore a gorgeous Miu Miu dress made from upcycled materials.
Gisele Bündchen
Supermodel Gisele Bündchen knows her influence matters, and she goes all out to preach the green fashion gospel. In 2007, she founded the Luz Foundation, which does a lot for the environment, including pushing sustainable fashion. She’s now a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Environment Program.
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep might not be the first name that comes to mind when thinking about fashion, but she’s been quietly supporting sustainable practices for years. She co-founded Mothers and Others to talk about the toxins in food production and textile dying.
Lily Cole
Lily Cole has been promoting eco-conscious practices in the fashion industry for over a decade. She co-founded The North Circular which uses recycled materials and employs fair labor practices. She is also a big fan of secondhand clothes.
Zendaya
Zendaya has delivered some of her most iconic looks using vintage pieces. From ’90s Versace to 2000s Roberto Cavalli, she and stylist Law Roach have made vintage fashion cool for a new generation.
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