Maria Sharapova And Iris Van Herpen Turned Evian Bottles Into Haute Couture For The Fashion Awards

When Maria Sharapova started to think about her outfit for the Fashion Awards, she knew she wanted something different. Though she’s known for loving understated looks from labels like Givenchy, Dior, and David Koma, Sharapova wanted her first trip to the ceremony to be a departure. “I take more chances on the red carpet than in my everyday life, but I’m also much more confident now in my 30s than I was when I was younger,” she shared on the phone from London. “The great thing about fashion is it allows us to experiment and step outside our comfort zones to try something new.” With that in mind, Sharapova sought out a look that connects to fashion’s future. Her custom Iris van Herpen gown is as striking as any of the designer’s haute couture pieces, but it comes with an eco-friendly twist. Seventy-two per cent of the material used comes from recycled Evian plastic bottles. 

Known for using environmentally-conscious materials and hi-tech processes, van Herpen’s haute couture is far from traditional. A 3D printing pioneer, she’s used the technology in her collections since 2010. More recently, she’s turned her forward-thinking sensibility towards eco-fashion by linking with non-profit Parley for the Oceans and using fabric created from upcycled marine debris for her spring 2021 couture runway. The Dutch designer’s artistry and innovative, creative process attracted Sharapova. “Once you see the pieces up close, you appreciate the level of craftsmanship and thought that goes into them,” she says. “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 utilises fit the body so well. [Before this] I hadn’t worn one of her dresses, but I’d admired her creativity for so long.”

A longtime ambassador for the French water brand Evian, Sharapova has witnessed the company’s push towards a completely circular business model. Evian’s goals connect with van Herpen’s Fashion Awards design. Working with a new fabric meant waiting to see if it would be able to hold the intricate forms van Herpen had dreamed up. “It took some time to see if the material itself would be up to our standards, but it all turned out beautifully,” says Sharapova. “Evian has done fashion projects before – every year, they collaborate with a designer on a special bottle – but this allowed them to put creativity at the forefront while reducing waste. Twenty-eight per cent of the material was silk, but the other 72 per cent came from recycled plastic from bottles that weren’t up to [traditional] recycling standards, which means they would have eventually become trash.”