Rami Kadi has been appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for a sustainable fashion programme in West Asia, an initiative by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The famous Lebanese couturier will use his influence to shed light on the damaging impacts of the fashion industry on the environment. The celebrity-loved Founder and Artistic Director of Rami Kadi Maison De Couture will also campaign for sustainable practices that can be implemented after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am excited to be a part of such a change, and I am looking forward to working with the UNEP in the region. Sustainability has been something that I have been trying to incorporate into my collections and has become a topic that is very dear to me,” Kadi, who exhibited the region’s first couture dress made entirely out of recycled plastic during his spring/summer 2020 presentation, said in a statement. “Responsible production will become a reoccurring theme throughout my collections, and I cannot wait to join forces with the UNEP to achieve our goal. I truly believe that together, we can help shape the future of the industry and promote better and more responsible behaviour.”
Sami Dimassi, Regional Director and Representative of UNEP in West Asia, made it clear the leading global environmental authority is just as excited to have Kadi on board. “Through this, we hope to promote behavioural change within the industry and its consumers that will benefit the future generations and help protect our environment,” he said. Dimassi added the Bahrain-based organisation is eager to partner with such a prominent figure, who has the same aim of switching to more eco-friendly practices and influencing “consumers to become more mindful of their actions.”
UNEP’s sustainable fashion programme in West Asia was launched earlier this year. As well as aiming to promote eco-friendly consumption and production within the industry and guide shoppers to purchase more responsibly to protect the future of our planet, it endeavours to spread awareness on the industry’s detrimental impacts. One fine example is how the industry consumes 215 trillion litres of water per year, making it the second-largest water-consuming field in the world. The programme, which serves 12 countries including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, also has circularity at the heart of its fashion activities.
The American-born Kadi launched his showroom and atelier in Beirut when he was 25. Since then the couturier, who has dressed the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Rita Ora and Jameela Jamil, has created a total of nine collections. The Paris Fashion Week participant’s spring/summer 2020 Couture collection, “Kaleidoscope,” underscored international issues, such as the advancing and harmful nature of climate change. The collection by the designer, who is trying to “reduce the planet’s carbon footprint” and be mindful of the fabrics and materials he uses, was presented via the region’s first virtual fashion show.
