Arizona Muse, the American supermodel who has graced nearly every international Vogue cover, is using her platform as a model to encourage fashion brands and model agencies to consider their impact on biodiversity. Many models support charitable causes, but Muse stands out as someone deeply informed and genuinely passionate about the issue. Sitting on the advisory board of The Sustainable Angle, she has collaborated with top designers during London Fashion Week to help create and showcase environmentally conscious outfits. Next year, Muse will launch her own collection of sustainably produced party dresses and is also stepping into a new role as a public speaker, partnering with the charity Synchronicity Earth to explore fashion’s effect on biodiversity.
This partnership is especially meaningful to Muse, as it was Synchronicity Earth founder Jessica Sweidan who first inspired her interest in the subject after a lunch event hosted by the organization. “I met Jessica about four years ago,” Muse explains. “She was the catalyst that made me truly commit and realize that my passion for the environment aligns with sustainable fashion.” Synchronicity Earth focuses on funding and raising awareness for environmental projects in the world’s most threatened ecosystems.
“The entire web of nature works perfectly when left undisturbed,” Muse continues. “Biodiversity is paramount, and that’s Jessica’s focus.” The area remains underfunded, with only 3% of global philanthropic giving directed toward environmental causes, and even less toward biodiversity restoration, according to One Percent For The Planet. In the UK, where Synchronicity Earth is based, less than 4% of all foundation donations and less than 5% of public contributions go toward environmental projects, research from the Environmental Funders Network shows.
Muse’s advocacy is highlighted in the upcoming “Fabric of Life” series in London, running through March next year. The program aims to inspire and educate philanthropists, including model agencies, designers, and fashion enthusiasts, through lectures, private tours of the V&A Museum’s Fashioned From Nature exhibition, documentaries, and studio visits for a package price of £500 ($654). Alongside Muse, ambassadors include model Wilson Oryema and actress Alison Sudol.
“Our events target affluent individuals and people in various industries… those who can make a conscious difference and should consider their footprint,” says Sweidan. “We hope to spark interest and understanding so that participants begin a lifelong engagement with sustainable practices.” This marks Synchronicity Earth’s first awareness campaign focused exclusively on the fashion sector, bringing together scientists, designers, activists, and researchers to provide a multifaceted view.
Innovations in sustainable fashion are urgent. Fabric of Life will spotlight natural habitats threatened by textile production, from the Aral Sea in Central Asia, where cotton farms have caused 20 of 24 native fish species to vanish, to Pakistan’s Indus Delta, where 95% of water is used for cotton, impacting the endangered Indus dolphin. Forests in Indonesia, Canada, the US, and Brazil are similarly endangered due to cellulose-based fabrics like viscose and Tencel, putting species such as Sumatran tigers, rhinoceroses, elephants, orangutans, and boreal caribou at risk.
With nearly a decade in the modeling industry, working with top creative directors and photographers, Muse now seeks to use her influence to raise awareness of fashion’s intrinsic link to the environment. “Fashion is rarely seen as environmentally conscious, but most fashion grows from nature,” she explains. “All natural fibers—silk, wool, cotton, flax, linen—come from the earth. Truly, fashion and environmental well-being are deeply connected.”
