Thoughts on the Met Gala- When I first got invited I was surprised. I didn’t know much about the Gala except that many celebrities went on a red carpet with extravagant outfits. I knew that this industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions and 92 million tons in textile waste a year— Yet, here we are with microtrends, plastic clothes, exploitative labor, and events that seem to uplift these unsustainable practices My intentions were to challenge people in there to go beyond sustainability and strive for climate justice and realize the interconnection of their actions to not only the effects in the fashion world but what it means for peoples lives. People who are seeing their communities destroyed by climate impacts, and extractivist industries today. Justice for the Global South, Indigenous, Black, and Brown frontline communities. How their influence in their circles means the difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees. I decided to own the invitation and tell people inside that there are 1.2 billion climate refugees expected by 2100, that recycling is a manufactured narrative by the plastic industry to shift blame to consumers, that we cannot fall for the “if we all do this one thing the world will be fine narrative” we need the “I will challenge the institutions that I am part of to leave the world better than I found it narrative” I am proud to have represented my culture and broken barriers— but most of all, communicating that everyone has the responsibility to play a role in climate justice. We cannot afford any more years of promises and greenwashing, we need years of action and truth Designers and celebrities have the responsibility to step up at places like these and the Met Gala should make it’s next theme “Sustaining Life” (as proposed by @sierra). Many have done it. I accepted the invitation because I trust Gabriela- she pioneered @chloe’s sustainability journey, and they are now a certified @bcorporation. My clothing is upcycled and I paired it with my dads Jade Ceremonial necklace for representation on the Otomi Indigenous values that guide me Let’s all do better, let’s all challenge ourselves, let’s all lead ❤️🌎