Long-time Evian representative Maria Sharapova merged her love of fashion, ecology and Evian water in an extravagant custom dress designed by Iris van Herpen for The Fashion Awards 2021.
.@MariaSharapova and Iris van Herpen turned Evian bottles into haute couture for the #FashionAwards2021. See the details behind her look here: https://t.co/9VBmDMGs0a pic.twitter.com/8EIPv8AydL
— Vogue Runway (@VogueRunway) November 29, 2021
Making clothes from recycled plastic bottles is increasingly popular. In the world of tennis, Adidas is the most famous for incorporating recycled ocean plastic. Their high-performance PrimeBlue garments include Parley Ocean Plastic, as part of their continued effort to completely phase out the use of virgin polyesters by 2024.
Elegance and plastic bottles have absolutely nothing in common, but Dutch designer Iris van Herpen bridged that big gap and created a sophisticated, youthful, and futuristic gown for Maria Sharapova’s red carpet appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The dress is 72% made from hundreds of recycled Evian water bottles and the rest is organic couture silk. More than 750 hours of hand work was put into this piece of art.
“Once you see the pieces up close, you appreciate the level of craftsmanship and thought that goes into them,” the 34-year-old Sharapova told Vogue about her Fashion Awards 2021 dress. Talking about Van Herpen’s talent, the Russian added: “She’s an artist. One of the reasons we all notice her work is because it’s so sculptural. All the different forms and shapes that she utilizes fit the body so well.”
The ocean-themed dress is all about reflective laser cut petals made from recycled plastic stitched onto silk. The metallic effect used on the paillettes reminds of waves and moving water.
Sharapova’s fiancé Alexander Gilkes accompanied her at the London event.
