GREATEST: Peter Dupont

Kim Jones’ last Louis Vuitton show is a standout experience for me. I was new to it all, but I distinctly remember the tension in the air. Everyone was super emotional in a way that’s hard to capture in words. I could just tell that his team was truly family. It was a special moment. I got my first glimpse into the genuine bonds and love that fashion can craft and cultivate. The effort that goes into creating a vision is nothing like what we see in the movies. It’s real. That show won me over.

A more America’s Next Top Model moment was wearing a Givenchy leather suit inside a water tank. I had to swim to the bottom of the tank with that leather suit on [laughs].

I was in Copenhagen visiting old friends, and although we all work in different fields, what has kept us close is the democratic school we attended. Our education was left-leaning anti-racist, anti-fascist, etc. One of my fondest adolescent memories is an anti-racist football tournament that the school hosts, which still happens today. We grew up in an environment that fostered a community where you could hang out but also freely talk politics.

I was catching up with my friend [Frank Hilmer, Dura’s co-founder], and the conversation shifted to taking advantage of my newfound digital reach and how we could capitalize on using fashion as a means to amplify our voices. Fashion’s base stems from marketing—implanting particular ideals into our minds, which psychologically influences decisions such as purchasing behavior, affinity towards brands, etc. Fashion as a tool can be manipulative or inspiring depending on one’s motivations. Frank and I decided we’d take on the most pressing problem: Earth’s climate crisis, and use my fashion connections as the vehicle to garner more awareness and momentum towards fixing this looming problem.

After we agreed to focus our energy on climate change, we connected with [Fashion East Founder and Director/LOVE magazine Editor-in-Chief] Lulu Kennedy’s daughter, Rainbow, and produced our first project under Dura Solutions, which was a 100% recycled t-shirt featuring an illustration by Rainbow.

The most important thing people need to be ready for is slowing down. This doesn’t necessarily impact smaller brands as they have minimal output compared to much larger, fast fashion companies. For these larger companies, there will be short-term losses, but forecasting ahead, the landscape is already set up to violently swing in the opposite direction.

That’s not to say these fashion titans cannot be a part of the solution; they do have the money, power and network to reimagine production practices for example. It’s simply imperative they undergo the necessary changes sooner rather than later. Hopefully, politicians will push for accountability and stronger legislature as brands wake up and come to terms with what’s realistic as they formulate a plan for the future.

It depends on the situation. To be fully transparent, I need to make a living, and currently, it’s through modeling. That aside, when a bigger client approaches me, I push for the opportunity to speak with their team about sustainability.

I recently did a job with a fast-fashion client, and the only reason why I agreed to it was that I was able to sit down with their head of sustainability for an hour-long video interview, which was filmed and edited by a friend I trust. I mention trust because I’m cognizant of fashion’s broader “greenwashing” campaign (when companies claim their products to be environmentally friendly when in fact, they’re not), and sometimes I worry that clients used to fit that underlying agenda. However, it’s a risk I’m willing to take because I don’t want to totally remove myself from the conversation. I truly believe people can and will make the appropriate changes once they’re informed and aware. Not to offer an “excuse,” but the fashion realm is a massive landscape consisting of people with different life experiences, agendas, interests, etc. Imagine if we were collectively able to activate our shared expertise for the welfare of our planet.

I admire scientists and those putting in the time and energy towards research and development. Specifically the people we are collaborating with on our next Dura project. We are working with a woman who’s a super cool ice diver based in Svalbard near the North Pole, doing important research.

Yes, there are a lot of people in the fashion industry who are awesome advocates, but if I could, I’d point people in a different direction. It’s scientists who are on the front lines and deserving of a prominent platform. I will say it’s been reassuring seeing growing public support for scientists and their work, especially within the fashion world. I strongly believe that the changes to be made within the fashion industry must be scientifically based.

I’ve recently gotten into glassblowing. My girlfriend introduced me to it, and I’m hooked. It’s been an outlet that helps clear my head. Between juggling Dura Solutions and work engagements, I don’t have a lot of time to myself. I’ve discovered that when I have a 2000 °Fball of heat in front of my face, I can tap out of everything and be in my own zone.

I have a lot of nice things that I treasure so much but also wear. Rather than treating them as collectibles, I make a point to wear these pieces because they were made to be worn. I would say a ring my girlfriend gifted me is the favorite item I own. It’s a mermaid that wraps around my finger designed by an amazing jeweler based in Rome named Joanne Burke. I wear it so much to the point that I feel naked without it.