Ahead of the Venice Film Festival, Cate Blanchett Is Rethinking the Red Carpet

Feather sleeves, faux tattoos, Jean Paul Gaultier chainmail and Iris van Herpen undulating material waves — Cate Blanchett has worn them all, and may again.

red carpet’s relentless march of new, new, new.” data-reactid=”20″>Days before she’s set to step into her new role as jury president of the Venice Film Festival, which begins Sept. 2, the style icon is rethinking the red carpet’s relentless march of new, new, new.

Blanchett will be continuing the momentum from the last awards season into the next one — by re-wearing looks from her closet throughout the Venice Film Festival, which runs through Sept. 12. And she’s urging others to do the same. “This is not a mandate, it’s a provocation,” she says of her challenge to attendees of the socially distant fest, which will have a more low-key red-carpet scene on the Lido, but is still expected to draw stars of its 60 featured films, which include Tilda Swinton, Vanessa Kirby, Andrew Garfield, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Gia Coppola.

No newcomer to the sustainability cause, Blanchett and her husband playwright Andrew Upton spearheaded the Greening the Wharf initiative at the Sydney Theatre Company back in 2010. And she has reworn a few of her red-carpet greatest hits in the past. But COVID-19 and the climate catastrophe that has made it more likely for other infectious diseases to emerge from the natural world in the future have made her consider fashion’s impact on the environment even more urgently.

according to McKinsey. And Hollywood stars have become the faces for brands looking to showcase their efforts, most notably at the Oscars in February, which were the greenest yet fashion-wise. ” data-reactid=”27″>Over the past several years, the industry has pledged to reduce that impact, which amounts to as many carbon emissions annually as what France, Germany and the United Kingdom emit combined, according to McKinsey. And Hollywood stars have become the faces for brands looking to showcase their efforts, most notably at the Oscars in February, which were the greenest yet fashion-wise.

But there is still a lot of work to be done. And Blanchett is excited by the challenge of continuing to weave sustainability into her fashion story.

serving as the face of his Si fragrance campaigns. (On the subject of the Hollywood-fashion symbiosis, she says, “Machines don’t have to be pollutants.”)” data-reactid=”29″>A keen follower of design with a daring but decorous approach to dressing, the Oscar-winner has had a long, lucrative relationship with the industry, sitting front-row at Burberry and Givenchy, collaborating with Giorgio Armani and serving as the face of his Si fragrance campaigns. (On the subject of the Hollywood-fashion symbiosis, she says, “Machines don’t have to be pollutants.”)

red carpet for the virtual Emmys on Sept. 20, Blanchett is a front-runner to win for her role in the Netflix drama “Mrs. America,” about the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. “Much to my horror, I didn’t realize that equality wasn’t enshrined in the American Constitution and I wonder how this moment in human history would have unfolded differently if it was,” quips the native Australian, who is outspoken about women’s rights and has worked on behalf of refugees as a U.N. Goodwill ambassador.” data-reactid=”30″>Although there won’t be a red carpet for the virtual Emmys on Sept. 20, Blanchett is a front-runner to win for her role in the Netflix drama “Mrs. America,” about the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. “Much to my horror, I didn’t realize that equality wasn’t enshrined in the American Constitution and I wonder how this moment in human history would have unfolded differently if it was,” quips the native Australian, who is outspoken about women’s rights and has worked on behalf of refugees as a U.N. Goodwill ambassador.

In other Venice fashion news, Blanchett style collaborator Elizabeth Stewart’s Chic Relief and Hollywood costume designer Arianne Phillips’ RAD (Red Carpet Advocacy) charities are spearheading a fund-raising effort around the festival. Blanchett was the first to sign on, and will be donating the looks she re-wears to an auction with 100 percent of the proceeds going to causes fighting for gender and racial equality, U.N. Women and Facing History and Ourselves.

Here, WWD chats with Blanchett about her thoughts about the future of fashion, why re-wearing past looks is not a knock on the industry, her take on fashion masks and compulsive buying, and what she’d like to re-wear from her wardrobe. (We have a few humble suggestions, see sidebar.)

Cate Blanchett’s Most Iconic Red Carpet Moments” data-reactid=”69″>Launch Gallery: Cate Blanchett’s Most Iconic Red Carpet Moments

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