The 2022 Met Gala moments that championed sustainable fashion

here has never been more of a movement for vintage fashion than there is right now, particularly on the red carpet, where stars have been dipping into the archive to create one-of-a-kind moments, rather than opting for something brand new. Of course, this is a great message for sustainability – and this trend for more eco-friendly red-carpet fashion has also been seen in celebrities rewearing designs more than once and in designers choosing to repurpose old materials, in order to leave less of a footprint with their creations.

Previously, we haven’t seen that much of this at the Met Gala, purely because of the nature of the event, which asks attendees to dress to a set theme, and where brands tend to create couture pieces for this special night.

However, the 2022 Met Gala looked quite different. More than a few of the night’s biggest stars opted to look to the past for their outfits, either choosing vintage designs, rewearing dresses they already owned, or having their ensembles created with repurposed or upcycled materials.

Below, we round up some of the fashion moments from this year’s Met Gala which championed sustainability.

 

Kim Kardashian

It was undoubtedly the most talked-about moment of the night and one which championed vintage fashion – Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe’s iconic Jean-Louis dress from 1962.

Although it of course has to be noted that a replica of the gown was made for Kardashian to wear later in the evening (as not to risk ruining the archive piece – and meaning that she did at some point wear something new), the attention her ensemble has given to vintage fashion cannot be underestimated.

Opting for something special and one-of-a-kind is of course the big benefit of choosing something vintage, and championing that on this huge occasion will likely do wonders for the popularity of secondhand and vintage fashion.

 

Emily Ratajkowski

Kardashian was not the only star to opt for vintage either. Model Emily Ratajkowski also took the opportunity to wear something from season’s past, rather than having something new made.

Ratajkowski’s dress was from a 1992 Versace collection, and was last worn by model Yasmeen Ghauri on the catwalk. “I feel very lucky to be wearing this look,” Ratajkowski said on the carpet of her extremely colourful, beaded design.

 

Emma Stone

When it came to deciding what she should wear to the 2022 Met Gala, Emma Stone looked inside her own wardrobe. In fact, the actress decided to rewear her wedding gown. The beautiful, white, feathered dress was a bespoke Louis Vuitton creation and featured delicate lace detail and silk.

 

Ho Yeon Yung

Another lady in Louis Vuitton who chose not to have something new made was HoYeon Jung, who wore this denim mini dress from the house’s cruise 2017 collection.

Speaking to reporters on the red carpet, Louis Vuitton’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière said he was thrilled to be re-interpreting old designs: “There is no better feeling than to know your designs will live on. While my role as an artistic director is to constantly create, the chance to return to previous collections and designs for this year’s Met Gala was joyful.”

 

Paloma Elsesser

It was one of our favourite looks of the night and, although Paloma Elsesser’s Coach dress was created especially for her, parts of the dress were actually made from repurposed materials, particularly the lace in the skirt, which was made using dresses from the 1930s.

 

Billie Eilish

Sustainability was also on the mind of Billie Eilish, who wore a completely upcycled Gucci gown to the event. “I just wanted to be as eco-friendly as possible,” she said on the red carpet, explaining that the dress had been created for her by Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele, but made in entirely upcycled fabrics.

 

Amber Valletta

Adut Akech