Furiosa star declares war on red carpet ‘waste’ by selling her looks

As Mary in Mad Max: Furiosa, Australian Charlee Fraser must fight to protect her child from a rogue biker horde in a dystopian wasteland. In real life, the actor and former model hopes to use her burgeoning film career to wage a different war: against fashion waste.

Hollywood’s obsession with red carpet “one-night stands” – dresses worn once, never to be seen again – is slowly waning as more celebrities embrace archival and vintage pieces for major events, as seen at last month’s Met Gala.

Fit for purpose … actor Charlee Fraser and designer Toni Maticevski with the dress that will be given a second life.Credit: Luke Dubbelde

Still, Fraser thinks more can be done, which is why she and designer Toni Maticevski are auctioning the couture gown he created for her to wear to the Mad Max global premiere in Sydney in May. (As it happens, Fraser’s co-star, Anya Taylor-Joy, wore a vintage gold Paco Rabanne dress to the same event.)

“The idea of auctioning it off is to give this garment a second life … for it to experience more things with someone else, who will deeply cherish it,” says Fraser.

The auction kicks off Repeat For Purpose, a philanthropic initiative founded by Fraser, a 29-year-old Awabakal woman from Newcastle who made her film debut in the 2023 surprise hit rom-com Anyone But You. Fraser took the idea to long-time friend and collaborator Maticevski, who she met when cast in his Australian Fashion Week show about 10 years ago.

Fraser describes the dress, worn at the Sydney Furiosa premiere, as a “queen going to a ball in the middle of an apocalypse”.Credit: Getty Images

Together, they created the ink-blue gown made from repurposed and reused fabric. Fraser describes it as what she’d imagined a “queen going to a ball in the middle of an apocalypse” would wear.

What makes the dress even more special is that Maticevski largely stepped away from doing custom designs about six years ago to focus on ready-to-wear. “I stopped creating pieces like this because I found they didn’t have much of an afterlife, and the moment left many clients of the brand disheartened as the piece was too expensive or unavailable to them,” he says.

“I am not a fan of wear [a garment] once and it’s done. I believe that a dress or a piece should have multiple moments because the moment is never the same, the person isn’t the same, how they piece it together is never the same.”

Still, Melbourne-based Maticevski, whose designs have been worn by the likes of Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, agreed to create the gown for Fraser “because of our friendship ... plus, this was a special moment in her career”.

Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy, who wore a vintage gold Paco Rabanne dress on the Sydney red carpet.Credit: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

It’s not the first time Fraser, who has appeared on the cover of Australian Vogue and has walked for brands including Prada before stepping away from modelling in 2022, has publicly rallied for sustainable fashion. In 2021, she launched #notjusttrending, a guide to sustainable and ethical fashion. Although it’s no longer active, Fraser remains a passionate supporter of responsible consumption.

“I’ve got a ton of friends in the industry now who have started vintage fashion consignment stores, and other friends who shop only vintage, and we go vintage shopping together,” she says. “Or we’re also investing in a wardrobe that has staple pieces that you’re going to wear over and over … and you’re not constantly buying into trends.”

Fraser says she hopes to reprise the auction format for future red carpet moments – she starts working on a new film project later this year – but, more broadly, wants to continue to spread the message about sustainability. “There are so many ways I think we can all play a part to collectively take that big leap,” she says. “[Repeat for Purpose] is one of my pots.”

Profits from the auction, which launches today, will be donated to Bush Heritage Australia, a conservation organisation that protects ecosystems and wildlife. To bid, visit galabid.com/repeatforpurpose.

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