Cate Blanchett is diving deeper into the fashion business — on the big screen.
The Oscar-winning actress and her production company Dirty Pictures with Andrew Upton and Coco Francini have boarded the documentary adaptation of Dana Thomas’ book Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes, being directed by noted auteur Reiner Holzemer.
The project, which is moving into the financing phase, investigates the $3 trillion global fashion industry by examining the “environmental and human cost of an industry built on speed and scale while spotlighting the designers and innovators reshaping the system,” per the filmmakers. It is based on Thomas’s book of the same name, which was named The Independent’s best fashion book on sustainability and was hailed by The New Yorker as “a glimpse into how consumerism, slowed to a less ferocious pace, might be reconciled with sustainability.”
The Fashionopolis doc will feature access to leading voices across the industry, including designers, policymakers, labor activists and innovators who are said to be driving systemic change.
It’s a subject close to home for Blanchett, who has often used her voice and red carpet appearances to shine a spotlight on sustainability and eco-conscious business practices. The same can be said of Holzemer, who previously helmed documentaries about boldfaced names from fashion, theater and photography. His credits include Martin Margiela: In His Own Words, Dries about acclaimed Belgian designer Dries Van Noten, Thom Browne: The Man Who Tailors Dreams, Lars Eidinger about the German actor and artist and Leica – A Century of Vision about the cultural significance of the camera and its impact on visual history.
It’s also squarely in Thomas’s wheelhouse as a leading fashion writer who has long examined sustainability in the industry. She is a longtime contributor to The New York Times and host of The
Green Dream, an award-winning sustainability podcast. She has dipped her toes into the film industry by scripting Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams, a feature doc directed by Luca Guadagnino, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2020. She also penned the tome Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster which was adapted for the docuseries Kingdom of Dreams. When Fashionpolis debuted, Publishers Weekly called it a “thoroughly reported and persuasively written” and a “clarion call for more responsible practices in fashion will speak to both industry professionals and socially conscious consumers.”
Thomas is writing and producing the Fashionopolis documentary alongside another noted fashion writer and industry insider, Bronwyn Cosgrave. Her credits include co-producing The Super Models, the Apple TV project that traced the modeling careers of superstars Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, and producing Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards and Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story. Danielle Perissi (Anbessa, Every Last Child, Lights of Rome) is on board as an executive producer.
“At its heart, Fashionopolis is a film about possibility — about the belief that fashion can transform itself into a more responsible, more beautiful future,” Holzemer said. “Throughout my career, I have been drawn to fashion for its artistry and creativity. With Fashionopolis, I want to shift my lens toward the changemakers reimagining fashion from within. My goal is not to point fingers, but to portray stories that inspire dialogue and spark hope.”
Added Thomas: “We meet designers, activists, and innovators working to change fashion from within — and reveal how everyday choices can help build a more just and beautiful future.”
Dirty Films produces genre-spanning work for TV and film and is behind the award-winning podcast Climate of Change. The company’s credits include Mrs. America, Stateless, Truth, Carol, Little Fish, Apples and The Turning, and more.
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