Naomi Osaka And Others Stun At MET Gala 2021, Asos And Primark Make New Green Pledges, More

Fashion this week was filled with lots of shimmer and shine and amazing discoveries. In global fashion news this week, stars made stunning fashion statements at the MET Gala 2021, Australian fashion designers pledged to support Afghan refugees, and more.

Stars Make Stunning Fashion Statements At The MET Gala 2021

The biggest fashion event of the year, the MET Gala held on September 13, 2021. Channeling the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”, stars showed up in stunning fashion statements. Ranging from actors to musicians, models, sports stars, fashion designers, and makeup artists, the event was packed full with glamour.

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This year’s MET Gala event co-chairs featured only young celebrities. Timothée Chalamet, 25; Amanda Gorman,23 ; Naomi Osaka, 23; and Billie Eilish, 19. It was also filled with lots of old fashion trends brought back, messages on clothing, questionable fashion choices, and shimmer and sparkle.

Kendall Jenner and Zoe Kravitz brought back sheer fashion with a bang. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Carolyn B. Maloney both sported outfits with powerful messages of “Tax the rich” and “Equal rights for women”. Kim Kardashian showed up in a head-to-toe black ensemble, covering every bit of her body including her face. Lil Nas X came decked in 3 outfits worn in layers – first a giant cloak, next a gold armor suit and finally a sparkling bodysuit.

Naomi Campbell Named First-Ever Ambassador For The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been named a global ambassador for the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. She is the first person ever to take on this royal role. The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust is an organisation which helps to assist the projects of youth advocates across the globe, with the Queen as patron.

Campbell is taking on the task, after taking on plenty of charity work throughout her career. The supermodel launched an initiative called We Love Brazil in 2005 to help tackle poverty in the South American country. She also launched Fashion For Relief, through which she raises millions for various humanitarian and environmental causes via a charity fashion show each year. The model has also been outspoken about various injustices over her time in the spotlight, voicing her support to the #MeToo movement and Black Lives Matter.

In her new role, the supermodel will help to support young innovators between the ages of 18 and 35 across the Commonwealth, connecting them with opportunities, training and funding.

“It is my privilege to accept this role as global ambassador for The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust,” Campbell said at the announcement event at the Cafe Royal Hotel in Central London last night. “Regardless of where you are from or where you are now, there are young leaders within your community doing amazing work. Sometimes they are not seen and some of them may not even see themselves as ‘leaders’ yet, but they all deserve our support, and access to education and resources.”

“This is something very close to my heart, and I will continue to do everything I can to uplift the next generation, so they can create a better future for their communities,” she added.

Asos And Primark Make New Green Pledges

Fashion houses, Asos and Primark have both announced new sustainability commitments. Both brands promise to keep their prices affordable. According to them, Asos is aiming to achieve a net-zero impact on the environment by 2030 while Primark says its clothes will be made using recycled or “more sustainably sourced materials” by the same date. Primark has also promised to half carbon emissions across its operations.

Asos, on Thursday released new environmental and social targets also. They include;

reducing carbon emissions generated by its clothes production and deliveries,
ensuring all of its own-brand products are made from sustainable or recycled materials by 2030,
giving customers more information on its supply chain, and
recruiting a more diverse workforce, including 50% female representation across its leadership team.

“We need to work with our partners on this to offset any minimal cost increases we anticipate from doing this,” said Nick Beighton, chief executive of Asos. “The responsibility for a sustainable future lies with all of us and businesses must lead the way.”

In a statement, Primark also said it would design its clothes to be more durable so they can be recycled and last longer – without increasing its prices. It also said it would eliminate single-use plastics in its own operations.

Australian Fashion Designers Pledge To Support Afghan Refugees

A consortium of Australian fashion brands is urging the government to up its quota of Afghan refugees, promising employment support for new and existing migrants. Last month, the Australian government announced that it has 3,000 slots for Afghan nationals as the Taliban took over their country.

Now, almost two dozen fashion brands have appended their signatures on an open letter to the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison urging him to increase this number. Among these brands are Romance Was Born, The Upside, KitX, Ginger and Smart, Outland Denim and high street staple Witchery. The letter is set to be sent to the PM next month.

“As a sector, we stand ready to support refugees from Afghanistan to build safe and fulfilling lives in Australia,” the letter states. “This is something we have done before. Australia has a long tradition of responding decisively and generously to humanitarian crises, as demonstrated by special intakes of Albanian Kosovars in 1999 and Vietnamese refugees following the Vietnam war, as well as more recently, with the intake of refugees from Syria and Iraq. Numerous members of these communities have been employed by the Australian fashion sector, especially in manufacturing, and we can do it again.”

The letter also calls on the PM to grant permanent protection to all Afghan refugees and prioritise family reunion for Australian residents and citizens – many of whom work in the garment industry – with immediate family in Afghanistan. The open letter is part of a wider campaign, Voices for Afghanistan, led by Aus Fashion Aid and The Social Outfit.

Scientists Find Evidence Of Humans Making Clothes 120,000 Years Ago

Researchers say they have found some of the earliest evidence of humans using clothing in a cave in Morocco. This includes the discovery of bone tools and bones from skinned animals suggesting the practice dates back at least 120,000 years.

“Our study adds another piece to the long list of hallmark human behaviours that begin to appear in the archaeological record of Africa around 100,000 years ago,” Dr Emily Hallett, of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany said.

Previous studies suggested that humans may have been wearing clothes right from 170,000 years ago. This new study adds weight to this claim. Hallet and her colleagues had been excavating and analysing bones for several decades from Contrebandiers Cave on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. This was to understand the diet change of early humans but they found 62 bones from layers dating to between 120,000 and 90,000 years ago that showed signs of having been turned into tools.

The team found broad, rounded end objects known as spatulates that were fashioned from bovid ribs.These tools are said to be ideal for scraping and removing internal connective tissues from leathers and pelts during the hide or fur-working process. They also found sand fox, golden jackal and wildcat bones showing cut marks associated with fur removal. All these bones combined with the addition of a whale tooth point towards the possibility of early humans making clothes from fur.