Thandie Newton wants to redefine sustainable fashion.
Thandie Newton
The 45-year-old actress stars as Val Beckett in the upcoming 'Star Wars' spin-off movie 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' and wore a Vivienne Westward gown adorned with the faces of all of the black characters who have featured in the sci-fi franchise - such as Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu and John Boyega as Finn - as she posed on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival where the movie was given its world premiere.
The gown featured the latest sustainable fabrics using certified peau de soie silk from Taroni that's extraction process doesn't harm the environment and Thandie is keen to make people more aware of the benefits of wearing ethical fashion and saving the planet whilst not "compromising" on style.
Speaking to Vogue.com, she said: "People think it'll be a compromise to wear sustainable, ethically sourced garments, but the far bigger compromise is what we're doing to the planet and ourselves by ignoring the fatal consequences of plundering our planet and its people, eco-friendly doesn't mean hair shirts and dodgy sandals anymore. It's a statement that comes from my heart and soul."
The 'Westworld' star felt it important to represent diversity with her dress because she could never connect to any of the original 'Star Wars' character's appearances and wants to "correct the imbalance" of ethnic representations by creating a positive environment in the home she shares with husband Ol Parker, 48, and children Ripley, 17, Nico, 13, and Brooke, four.
She said: "No one looked like me, except perhaps the slave dancer in Jabba the Hutt's iconic scenes, Val is the most capable, efficient, no-nonsense person I've ever played. She's her own bodyguard.
"I make sure that there's diversity in everything around us at home -brown faces in art, photography, toys, fabrics, picture books -everywhere, it's to correct the imbalance against dark skin in images they see in the world outside the home."
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