TRENDSETTERS
H O L LY W O O D I N F L U E N C E R
Suzy Amis Cameron
By Amanda Koellner
54
july–august 2015
As Suzy Amis Cameron toured the world’s red carpets in support of her husband’s (director James Cameron) 2009 blockbuster, Avatar, the sustainability activist realized the potential opportunity in front of her to change the way Hollywood views high fashion. Today, her fashion campaign, Red Carpet Green Dress (RCGD), challenges young designers to create a red-carpet-worthy dress and now, tuxedo, in an environmentally responsible way with sustainable fabrics and materials. The organization then gives the winners the opportunity to be mentored by an established fashion brand and get his or her designs worn on the Academy Awards’ red carpet with all profits from entry fees benefitting California’s MUSE School. Now six years running, notable names involved include designer Vivienne Westwood and actor Kellan Lutz. We chatted
with Cameron to learn more. gb&d: I understand that touring the world’s red carpets with your husband in support of Avatar inspired you to create the contest. I also know that the two of you have been huge players in the realm of environmental causes for quite some time. Have you always incorporated green fashion into your own wardrobe, and is there a specific memory you have related to when the idea for this contest arose?
ABOVE Environmental activist Suzy Amis Cameron started a fashion campaign to encourage young fashion designers to incorporate sustainable practices into their pieces.
Amis Cameron: When I reflect on the moment that I started thinking more consciously about the clothes that I wear every day, I go back to my modeling days when I started to make my own money and invest in clothes. For the most part, I purchased things of very high quality with simple designs that I could wear over and over. I still have clothes that I purchased while liv-
PHOTO: ANDREEA RADUTOIU
The activist’s Red Carpet Green Dress campaign aims to encourage sustainability in high fashion
gbdmagazine.com