imageThe fashion industry could lead the way to a toxic-free future.

Never mind the catwalks of New York, Paris, Milan and London, the red carpet at the Oscar’s is the place to check out the latest high fashion trends, and this year’s ‘runway’ was sprinkled with Armanis and Diors.

But former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko and Twilight star Kellan Lutz made fashion statements of a different kind – turning the red carpet green with unique, sustainable designs created by Red Carpet Green Dress.

Now in its fifth year, the Red Carpet Green Dress (RCGD) challenge is a contest for innovative designers to showcase stunning fashion made to the highest environmental standards possible.

This year’s winning designs, by French fashion design student Alice Elia and Jomnarn Dul from H Brothers, were shown at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.

Olga’s dress and Lutz’’s tuxedo married green design with intricate couture worthy of the Hollywood glamour.

Kurylenko’s gown was made from 100 per cent Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified organic peace silk and 100 per cent GOTS certified organic silk. It was first hand-dyed with Sappanwood – a legume which produces a reddish-coloured dye and is sustainable due to its fast growth rate – then overdyed with madder root to give it a deeper shade of red.

Her shoes were a first time collaboration between PETA and Beyond Skin, a UK-based ethical footware and fashion label, for Red Carpet Green Dress. The vegan, faux suede, metallic-trimmed shoes were made from Dinamica, a durable material made in Italy from 100 per cent recycled bottle tops.

These designs give us a glimpse into the fashion industry’s potential to make clothing that doesn’t pollute our planet.

But environmentally friendly fashion like this should not be the exception, it should be the norm.

RCGD might have been turning the carpet green but, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many of the other fashion labels that filled the Oscar’s ceremony.

Greenpeace International’s latest investigation showed the presence of hazardous chemicals in children’s clothing made by eight luxury fashion brands including Dior, Versace, Louis Vuitton and Dolce&Gabbana.

Sixteen of the 27 tested products (59 per cent) were found to contain one or more of the following hazardous chemicals: nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), phthalates, per- or polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), and antimony.

These chemicals are being released into our rivers, streams and lakes not only from textile manufacturing sites in production centres like China, but also from pieces of clothing bought and sold around the world.

Once released into  waterways, many of these substances can be hazardous, hormone-disrupting and persist in the environment, posing risks to the health of all children and adults everywhere.

Brands like Versace, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Dolce&Gabbana should detox our clothes and our future now: click here to send them a letter demanding toxic-free fashion.

People-power in the form of signatures from and letters sent by campaign supporters has already helped convince 20 companies, including Burberry and Valentino, to commit to making beautiful fashion that doesn’t cost the earth.

The Detox campaign has shown that the fashion industry can lead the way to a toxic-free future. 19 global brands, from budget giant Primark to luxury labels like Valentino, have already made lasting commitments to Detox.

Greenpeace is calling on clothing brands to rid their clothes and production processes of hazardous chemicals.

Sign the Detox Fashion Manifesto.

Environmentally friendly fashion should not be the exception, it should be the norm.

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