There are loads of reasons to admire eco actress Emma Watson. Here are a few!
By Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
British actress Emma Watson, best known for playing Harry Potter’s best friend Hermione, has been spreading her magic in the eco-fashion world for many years. Her relentless devotion to the environment has led to quite a few chic collaborations, and lending her influence to a whole new generation of eco-conscious champions of the planet.
Here are a few reasons why we admire this eco actress!
Conscious Collaborations
Recognising Watson’s budding style, the founders of People Tree reached out to the young actress to involve her in the designing of a new collection for the brand. It was so successful, they asked her to do a second one. But this time, Emma flew to Bangladesh to see exactly how the clothing was being made. She met with the garment workers who were making the pieces she designed. She was utterly overwhelmed by seeing firsthand what a difference Fair Trade practices can make.
“It was an incredible and life-changing experience – I really wish everyone had the chance to see the difference Fair Trade makes with their own eyes!” she said. “Fair Trade fashion comes from the villages. It provides a real alternative to working in a garment factory and the harsh environment of living in a slum. Fair Trade fashion is often completely handmade. It’s made of 100% natural and organic cotton. It’s a small miracle that we as consumers can participate in a process that is keeping skills and communities alive and helping them to prosper,” she stated.
But don’t think for one minute this was all about adding to Emma’s (already hefty) bank account! The actress actually donated all royalties from her collection to the People Tree Foundation. This has the objective of bringing benefits of FairTrade to farmers and artisans through scaling up training, technical support and environmental initiatives, by raising awareness and campaigning for FairTrade and sustainable fashion.
Birkin Inspired
Back in 2011, Watson cultivated her newfound expertise into a collection with (not usually eco-friendly) Italian designer Alberta Ferretti. The capsule line, inspired by Jane Birkin, had a distinctive 70s flair and was christened Pure Threads.
This five-piece collection is composed of two dresses, a shirt, a long skirt, and denim shorts. It was entirely made in Italy from Global Organic Textile Standard Certified organic cotton. While Ferretti didn’t continue to make the rest of her line eco-friendly, Emma expressed her wish to continue helping designers go green. “I’m happy to encourage anyone interested in making conscientious clothing from raw, sustainable materials, so much so that I’ll work for free!” she said.
Indeed, the young actress is now aiming chemical cosmetic giant Lancome to go green too. Given that she is the face for their fragrance, Tresor Midnight Rose, she just may have some influence in making this notoriously ‘un-eco’ brand a bit more sustainable. She suggests an all natural makeup line would be a big hit!
A Champion for Girls
She is still waiting for a response from the French brand, but of course Emma simply can’t stand still.
She’s now focusing her energies helping women through the #HeForShe campaign. It aims to promote overall gender equality. Similarly, she’s working with Camfed(Campaign for Education). This is a movement that has the goal of educating girls in rural Africa and creating leadership opportunities for them when they complete school.
Watson become Camfed International’s ambassador. With her ‘Just One Thing’ campaign, she drew attention to sending girls back to school. She also helped provide them with books, uniforms and other school essentials.
Since 1993, nearly two million children in some of the poorest regions of Africa have benefited from Camfed’s education programmes. Watson has always claimed to be a bookworm and loves to study. As Camfed’s ambassador, she said: “Education is so important, not just for the individual but for society as a whole, and in the poorest areas it is so often girls who miss out. I am delighted to support Camfed and the amazing work they do.”
Glamorously Green
Watson recently got even busier through Livia Firth’s Green Carpet Challenge in collaboration with ‘The Edit’ magazine. She modelled eco-friendly gowns from five different designers, including Erdem, Christopher Bailey, Christopher Kane, Roland Mouret and Victoria Beckham.
Watson expressed her admiration of Ms. Firth. “Livia’s created a lobbying body to put pressure on governments and corporations to encourage them to have ethical responsibility as their baseline. It’s quite awesome,” she said.
Most recently, for her Beauty and the Beast promotional tour, eco actress Emma Watson created an Instagram account, The Press Tour. It features her wearing eco-friendly outfits created just for her. It’s a true inspiration for anyone who still believes ‘green = granola’.
She may make it look easy, but Emma admits it’s not always easy being ‘green.’ “I’ve always had this huge problem,” she admits. “I would love to wear garments that are ethically sourced, but there aren’t enough options for me to be able to do that realistically. The Green Carpet Challenge seemed like something I had been waiting for. Maybe there would be fewer problems if we were really conscious of where and how things were made. I can’t wrap my head around why ethical clothing is a specialty and not a base standard. Why is it special to have something you know wasn’t made under terrible conditions by a 12-year-old girl for 20 pence an hour?”
With Emma’s efforts being noted world wide, we hope that soon garments that were made sustainably won’t be all that ‘special’ very soon!
Emma’s Green Favourites
Eco actress Emma Watson is crazy about loads of green brands, of course. But which ones does she feature the most on her Instagram account? We checked it out and came up with this.
Veja
Emma notoriously hates walking in high heels. So no wonder she prefers Veja sneakers! These 100% eco friendly shoes boast some serious style.
Vapour Beauty
This is a natural beauty company that’s perfect for your everyday makeup look. Emma says she considers their products to be one of her top beauty secrets!
Kjaer Weiss
Watson loves these gorgeous luxury cosmetics. They’re naturally made by a top makeup artist. She used this brand loads on her Press Tour!
Stella McCartney
Watson loves the style of the original Queen of Vegan Fashion. Though the actress isn’t vegan herself, she appreciates the fact that McCartney’s clothing is 100% cruelty-free.
What do you love about eco actress Emma Watson? Let us know in the comments, below!
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