TENCEL™ and RCGD Global collaborates for the third year running to spotlight eco-couture at the Oscars
Winning designs of the 2020 and 2021 Global Design Contest were unveiled publicly for the first time in Los Angeles on March 25th
TENCEL™ branded lyocell fibers featured in custom-made gowns by HELLESSY, Patrick McDowell and BENEDETTI LIFE
Lenzing – Lenzing’s flagship textile brand, TENCEL™, and RCGD Global (formerly known as Red Carpet Green Dress™) join hands for the third year to spotlight eco-couture at the 94th Awards® (also known as “the Oscars”). As part of the partnership, RCGD Global and TENCEL™ also unveiled the winning designs of the 2020 and 2021 Global Design Contest for the first time at a Pre-Oscars celebratory event in Los Angeles on March 25th.
“We are proud to partner with RCGD Global for the third consecutive year in greening up the Oscars and empowering rising designers through the global design contest. These events are major milestones in our goal to bridge the divide between luxury fashion and bringing positive impact to our planet. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of TENCEL™ this year, the ongoing collaboration supports our overarching mission to provide brands and designers with sustainable solutions, focusing on enhancing circularity and achieving a completely transparent supply chain,” said Harold Weghorst, Global Vice President of Marketing and Branding at Lenzing AG.
Bringing greener alternatives to the red carpet
This year, three custom-made gowns, made of bespoke fabrics made from TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers and TENCEL™ Luxe filament yarn have been featured on the red carpet of the Oscars. More information about the fabrics used in the red carpet gowns can be found in the Appendix A.
Star of “Uncharted”, “You” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”, Tati Gabrielle wore a custom HELLESSY off-shoulder cape gown dress made from an ivory TENCEL™ Lyocell textile with fringing that drips like frost around the body.
Photo Credits: RCGD Global
Seasoned Broadway performer and star of the Best Picture nominated “West Side Story”, Paloma Garcia Lee makes her Oscars debut wearing a custom Patrick McDowell gown in a luxury textile made from TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers and linen with a bottle green sensation.
Photo Credits: RCGD Global
Lifelong sustainability advocate and mother of Billie Eilish and Finneas, Maggie Baird wore a custom BENEDETTI LIFE custom-made gown in a luxurious black textile made from TENCEL™ Luxe filament yarn, black textile made from TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers, as well as blue fabric made of carbon zero TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers.
Photo Credits: RCGD Global
Derived from sustainably sourced natural raw material wood, TENCEL™ branded lyocell fibers are produced in a closed loop process and are fully biodegradable and compostable. Known for its natural comfort, fabrics made of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are also gentle on skin with high tenacity and efficient moisture management.
As a vegan sustainable alternative to silk, TENCEL™ Luxe filament yarn give fabrics an exquisite sensual appeal with silky smoothness, liquid-like drape and color vibrancy. Produced using eco-responsible production processes, TENCEL™ Luxe filament yarn is also certified as biodegradable and compostable, offering a circular solution to eco-couture and luxury fashion.
Empowering rising designers to go green
The winning designs of the 2020 and 2021 Global Design Contest, organized in partnership with RCGD Global and CLO, were unveiled publicly for the first time at a Pre-Oscars celebratory event in Los Angeles on March 25th to leading sustainable advocates. Those in attendance included Zoe Saldana, Paloma Garcia Lee and Haley Strode.
‘It was a rejoicing moment to celebrate our Pre-Oscars celebration after two years of remote activity. It has been a pleasure to have our friends and supporters in one room to applaud fabrication and technological advances in the fashion industry alongside finally showcasing Sanah Sharma, Jasmine Kelly Rutherford and Yuriko Fukuda’s RCGD GLOBAL Design Contest winning looks. We are also thrilled to continuing the celebrations with our annual sustainable gowns created with our partner TENCEL™ on the red carpet at the 94th Academy Awards®,” said Samata Pattinson, CEO at RCGD GLOBAL.
Using fabrics with a blend of TENCEL™ Luxe filament yarn and cashmere, winner of the 2020 gown design, India-based designer Sanah Sharma curated a chic and majestic gown with zero-waste in mind. The gown shines with elegance in a silverish grey sheen.
Photo Credits: RCGD Global
Winner of the 2020 suit design, New York-based Jasmine Kelly Rutherford created a unique look uses fabrics with a blend of TENCEL™ Luxe filament yarn and cashmere. The silvery grey sheen brings an exquisite twist to the classic red carpet tuxedo look and it’s an absolute compliment when paired with Sanah’s gown.
Photo Credits: RCGD Global
UK-based Yuriko Fukuda, 2021’s womenswear winner, designed a bespoke look using fabrics made of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers and acetate. The gorgeous black look gives a new meaning to LBD for red carpet moments.
Photo Credits: RCGD Global
The winning design of the 2021 menswear category, created by Singapore-based designer Benjamin Koh, will be unveiled at a later date.
As a celebration of sustainable innovation in haute couture, the event also featured a “green” carpet made of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers. Originated from certified and controlled wood sources, TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers can be fully biodegradable and compostable. Made of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers, the carpet exhibits a pleasant, naturally gentle feel.
About RCGD GLOBAL
RCGD Global is a women-led global change-making organisations working from ‘moment’ to movement, bringing global cultural sustainability to the forefront of conversation and action within the fashion and design world. Celebrating its 10th year of the Red Carpet Green Dress campaign initiative at the Oscars, RCGD Global was initially conceived as a design contest by Suzy Amis Cameron (actress, environmental advocate, and author) when faced with the lack of ethical fashion choices while attending global premieres of husband James Cameron’s’ ‘Avatar’. The organisations’ work has since developed to include collaborations with global and small independent brands, partnerships delivering sustainable design solutions such as regenerative materials, educational work with the emerging design community – including workshops, internships and work experience, and international design contest initiatives. Alongside a consultancy offering, RCGD Global’s R & D division delivers thought-leadership work for the industry, working with leading institutions such as Institute for Sustainability Leadership, University of Cambridge and University of California, Berkeley.
RCGD Global works to draw attention to the importance of more sustainable practices in the design world and to be part of bringing those solutions to a global, culturally diverse market. Leading fashion houses including Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood, Armani, Elie Saab, Swarovski, Christian Siriano, Bulgari, Dunhill and Reformation have joined the campaign to create sustainable red carpet wear. Celebrities including Sophie Turner, Laura Harrier, Emma Roberts, Marlee Matlin, Danielle MacDonald, LaKeith Stanfield, Camila Alves, and Naomie Harris have joined the campaign as representatives of its Oscars red carpet green dress initiative. RCGD Global’s work has been featured in VOGUE, Vanity Fair, W Magazine, People, The Hollywood Reporter, WWD, Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Refinery29, The Guardian, ELLE, LA Times, The New York Times, Business of Fashion amongst others, across over 100 countries.
Helmed by CEO, Samata Pattinson, a prior winner of the Global Design Contest in 2011 with over a decade of experience, Red Carpet Green Dress unveiled its rebrand to RCGD Global in 2022, to fully encompass the multitude of spaces that the organisation exists in with a focus on four core pillars:
Collaborating with respected and mainstream platforms to foster sustainable conversations and action
Developing accessible sustainable design solutions which create real effective change
Being part of creating a more socially fair, equitable and representative industry
Helping to find language to create change
Appendix A: More details on the RCGD Global x TENCEL™ red carpet looks
