Why Oscars red-carpet fashion may be more sustainable this year.

• The 95th annual Academy Awards are taking place on Sunday in Los Angeles, California.
• All attendees received instructions from RCGD Global’s environmental team to dress sustainably.
• Samatha Pattinson, the group’s writer and CEO, told Insider what the stars are wearing.

This year at the Oscars red-carpet fashion, expect green – and not in color.

Ahead of the 95th Academy Awards – which take place on Sunday at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California – environmental group RCGD Global has distributed a written guide to all attendees on how to dress ethically and sustainably at the event.

The guide, which serves as an unnecessary dress code, was created for the Oscars by the organization’s chief executive, Samatha Pattinson, who previously produced the 23-page edition.

Insider spoke with Pattinson about applying the guidelines to the Oscars, what the stars will be wearing this year, and the influence of red carpet fashion.

They are the Oscars. of A place for sustainable fashion

When actress Suzy Amis Cameron launched RCGD Global – formerly known as Red Carpet Green Dress – a design competition in 2010, she had two goals: to create opportunities for emerging fashion designers and to start a conversation about sustainability on red carpets.

So when Pattinson won the race, she and Cameron took it upon themselves to do so.

“Here we go and put the academy.” Look, this is a conversation you should be having. This is a great opportunity to show that there is a more meaningful way to showcase sustainable fashion. We are bringing the ingredients together. They want you to give us a platform and support it. And they did,” she said.

Since that meeting, according to Pattinson, RCGD Global has “never left this position”.

Over the years, they’ve worked with stars like Tati Gabrielle, Marley Matlin and Sophie Turner to showcase sustainable and ethically created clothes on the red carpet.

In the year In 2016, Turner – in partnership with RCGD Global – wore an ethically made gown for the opening ceremony.

Then in the year In 2022, Billie Eilish supported the organization by choosing a vintage Gucci gown and undone tiara to wear as jewelry for the event.

Her mother, Maggie Baird, was the RCGD Global Ambassador that year.

This year, RCGD Global took the initiative and took it to another level – creating a classic version for Oscar attendees.

The guidelines, which can be viewed online, advise attendees to wear traditional clothing or clothing made from natural fabrics, among other suggestions.

And as Pattinson said, the permanent dress code is a suggestion – not a requirement.

But while there are many ways to be sustainable, Pattinson believes that “more than 70%” of attendees are involved in some way, “whether they identify with sustainability or not.”

“They’re going to rent, they’re customizing existing pieces that they’re wearing,” she said. “Some will be in the form of DIYing or borrowed archives.”

According to Pattinson, the “most abusive” audience can access the RCGD Global initiative.

“We say, OK, these are a number of ways you can get involved. Do you consider yourself a tech person? You can look at certifications and technologies that indicate where your clothes come from,” she says. “Consider yourself a big fan of biodiversity? You might want to look for natural or bio-based fabrics.”

“We tried to give them more options because there was no way out,” she added.

2023 red-carpet predictions: vintage dresses and special fabrics

So what will your favorite stars wear on Sunday? Pattinson features three big themes: recycled clothing, natural textiles and vegan materials.

“Recycled fashion is a big thing because it’s so obvious,” she said. “You can visually see what they wore before, but this time they did it differently.”

“The other big thing for me might be textiles – there are so many new ways to show color,” Pattinson continued. “Textiles can be creative, and some of them are actually out there, you know? There are algae-based, bio-based options and pieces made from recycled ocean plastic. There are a lot of them.”

But most of all, according to Pattinson, this is what counts most from the Oscars red carpet.

“All these things are very good: textiles, dyes, vintage clothes,” she said. “But if we still don’t go back to ‘everyone has to do a little bit,’ that’s a concern.”

“Fashion is a business industry; it has to be sold, it has to be traded, it has to be bought,” she continued. But I think we have an opportunity to do that, which determines the terms on which we buy and the terms on which we sell.