Sustainability on the red carpet

12 May '11

1 min read

RMIT University PhD student and Brunswick resident, Georgia McCorkill, used the Logies red carpet to raise awareness of environmental problems faced by the fashion industry by creating a stunning dress for Zoe Tuckwell-Smith that encompassed principles of design for sustainability .

Ms McCorkill said the dress explored two ideas around design for sustainability: "The first was the use of natural eucalyptus plant dyes to achieve the soft coffee colour and the second was the up-cycling of fabric remnants sourced from several Melbourne designers."

Ms Tuckwell-Smith from Seven's new series Winners and Losers used her celebrity platform to promote sustainable fashion. She said: "I wanted to be there on behalf of something bigger, which is why I have chosen to take a risk with my dress in order to promote something inspiring."

The aim of Ms McCorkill's research project was to demonstrate to consumers that fashion is no different to other industries in that it faces problems in regards to resource consumption, pollution and social justice.

"Awareness and education in regards to these issues lags behind the progress made in industries such as food or transport, where the public is becoming increasingly aware of the impact of their consumption habits," she said.

RMIT University

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