The duo showcased mutual adoration at Coach’s Coachtopia launch dinner a few weeks ago. Now, they have turned many heads with their mesmerising partnership that flaunted authentic attire featuring embellishments made from materials like bike tubes and aluminium soda cans at the Met Gala.
The director of Coach, New York, British designer Stuart Vevers was spotted with environmental activist Maya Penn at the opening of Met Gala 2023.
Vevers went on to clarify: “The look we designed for Maya expresses our American design language, imagined for a new generation through the lens of environmental responsibility.”
He suggested: “It’s part of our house’s commitment to explore, experiment and learn more about sustainable design through iteration and new ways of creating, as well as the design principles of Coachtopia, where we look to design waste out of our processes from the start.”
With the advent of the Paris Act of 2015, many well-known organisations are shifting toward the healthy use of recyclable materials. This is where aluminium plays a vital role, as it is infinitely recyclable. Once produced, the non-ferrous metal can stay in the material loop forever, creating a circular economy.
In the past few months, we have encountered activists and environmental enthusiasts warning us about the harmful effects of carbon emissions and global warming. Celebrities have also participated in this globally acknowledged sustainability drive since entertainment has a widely acceptable reach, and people often tend to follow their idols.
Designers worldwide are focusing more on sustainable approaches that can glorify and immortalise their techniques. Only last year, in Aluminium Dusseldorf, there were aluminium gowns on display by Asye Byzanz. We have also seen Miss Universe Thailand wear a dress made of aluminium pull tabs last year. With this final use of aluminium in a Coach dress, the metal has been raised to a pedestal where we often locate other precious metals since the brand name speaks for itself.
“The dress interprets a romantic silk chiffon slipdress with a grunge attitude, incorporating vintage lace and silk leftovers from our previous runway shows as well as embellishment made from discarded bike tubes, aluminium soda cans, plastic water bottles, ticket stubs and maps salvaged from trash cans in and around the Met,” Vevers said in a composed way.
Establishing the idea of sustainability, Penn remarked: “This gown is showcasing circularity and sustainability at the apex of fashion.”
“It’s been amazing to see Coach take the waste and transform it into something unique and incredible. When people see this innovative gown, I hope it inspires them to reimagine their relationship with clothing and the everyday items that are thrown away. I hope that this sends a message to the fashion industry that sustainability is not the future; it’s the now,” the designer concluded.
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