The 2025 film awards season came to an end on March 2nd after following a series of scandals that varied from the resurface of old controversial tweets from a nominee, to category fraud and problematic cultural depictions in film facing enormous backlash. Besides these controversies, the ceremony marked important milestones as to independent filmmaking being recognized by the Academy and to the historic wins for the diversity agenda. It has also raised in 1% the viewership rate, making it the most-watched ceremony since 2020.

The buzz on social media has also been extremely high, and the celebrities and nominees of the season have never been under the public eye as much as they are now, being the main topic of the last few months on social media and the press. Following the Oscar race, the most important award of the season, also means keeping up with the fashion and the outfits the nominees wear to ceremonies and the red carpet.

This article aims to clarify some of the complex and bureaucratic relations between the fashion industry, its businesses and the dealmaking made for the red carpet spectacles.

It's Important (and Expensive) to Dress for the Awards

When it comes to fashion during the awards season, it's not only the main ceremonies that matter, such as the Oscars, the BAFTA (considered the "British Oscar"), and the Golden Globes, but also the entire image-building of candidates through political and commercial choices during this period, be it in interviews, private parties (like pre-Oscar dinners or after-parties), screening with discussions, etc.

Everything involving a public appearance of celebrities during this period is highly publicized, hence it's crucial for brands to know how to act strategically, who should wear which piece, which look from the previous season to use, whether it's worth reinterpreting a piece or using a vintage dress, among others. For these reasons, award seasons, and especially the Oscars, are great marketing opportunities for fashion houses.

Building a celebrity's image through their clothes is indeed important but also costly. The average value of each look for awards is estimated at $1.5 million, according to WalletHub, with much of the budget directed towards the jewelry and accessories that accompany the outfits. However, sources reveal that for dressing A-list actresses (the most highly rated), the cost can reach $10 million.

Fun fact: The record for the most expensive piece ever worn by an artist at award ceremonies was the 128-carat Tiffany's necklace worn by Lady Gaga at the 2019 Oscars, valued at more than $30 million.

Nevertheless, this cost is justified. As analyzed by Launchmetrics, the 2024 Oscar red carpet generated over $1.1 billion in “media impact value,” highlighting the importance of brand investments in such events as the result can be very positive (even more so if the candidate wearing the brand wins an award).

This is how brands and stylists look for different ways to be present on the red carpet and other occasions. Since the 1990s, the Oscars and other award shows have been a stage to strengthen the image of well-established designers and keep them in the spotlight; however, in recent years, many fashion houses have changed their approach on how to make this representation worthwhile.

Celebrating the Past and Future of the Great Fashion Houses

The red carpet of major awards, whether in film, music, television, or theater, is a moment for artists and celebrities to celebrate their talent through fashion. Dressing a celebrity on a red carpet is different from dressing for photo shoots or fashion events, since what is being celebrated is the prestige and achievement of the artist, and therefore, other values are considered during styling.

Celebrating the talent and art of the nominees is a moment to present oneself formally and elegantly, while also subtly commenting on the brand's history and luxury. Let's look at some recent red carpet trends.

Use of Archives

A trend popularized by fashion-savvy duo actress Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach is vintage fashion at red carpets and other gala events, with “vintage” referring to designer clothes made more than 20 years ago.

These pieces may come from a stylist’s collection, as in the case with Law Roach, from boutiques and specialists in vintage fashion, or from the brand’s own archive, as Mugler does.

Archives represent a meticulous and careful research on the chosen designer's work and a well-done sourcing, since often these pieces are not easily found and the borrowing process can be more bureaucratic than if it was a direct relationship with the brand itself.

Even if it is uncertain to whom the work should be credited—the stylist, the vintage dealer, the fashion house, or the celebrity wearing it—one thing is certain: using archives represents a celebration of designers' glamorous past and keeps their luxury current, educating young generations about fashion and history, while current creative directors can get inspired for future collections.

Customizations, Reinterpretations, and Replicas

Something that has become common among fashion houses and their creative directors is crafting personalized and bespoke looks for artists, and during this process, leveraging the brand's history to self-reference or pay homage to a historic piece.

In a similar way to how archives and vintage fashion do, customizations, reinterpretations, and replicas also demand extensive research and knowledge of fashion and the brand’s history. Creating a bespoke garment from scratch is hard and expensive work but also valued in the end. Here, care and dedication are the key values to be considered.

There are also reinterpretations of iconic looks that don't necessarily directly dialogue with the past but only make a present reference to it by updating it. This is often done to connect the timeline of old collections with more recent ones, demonstrating image and style consistency for the brand.

New Collections

What appears most on the red carpet, however, are always the looks from the latest fashion seasons. Even being a less labor-intensive approach compared to the previous ones, choosing a dress that recently walked the runway shows that stylists (and artists, too) are savvy about what's trending and which brands are worth investing in.

This year’s highlight was Ariana Grande, named one of the best-dressed by the press, who wore a high couture bustier dress by Schiaparelli. The choice not only meant the styling was on point but also served as an example of the strategy some nominated artists used of ‘method dressing’, a way chosen to behave during the award season by using looks that resemble the narrative of the character portrayed.

Political and Commercial Choices

As shown earlier, choosing an outfit for the Oscars or any other award show is not a simple task. Behind all the glamour and the fun of following celebrities in beautiful looks lies high-value contracts and challenging stories for independent designers who desire to dress a celebrity one day at such a ceremony.

In the past few decades, few moments have been truly spontaneous and deviated from the expected glamour of red carpets because, now, what is seen are huge investments to have brands recognized and visible, turning it into a business event and not just about pretty looks.

Celebrities' agreements and decisions about what to wear can hinder young designers' access to the big event or prioritize them among major fashion houses. Some celebrities prefer to send political messages and not follow the formalities brands demand or, even, choose to reuse old looks for the sustainable cause. Here are some examples of these choices:

Brand Ambassadors and the Limits of Exclusive Contracts

In recent years, red carpets have been dominated by the presence of the biggest brands of major fashion conglomerates such as LVMH and Kering, increasing the number of celebrities wearing the same designer and investing heavily while doing so. Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Armani are some of the names that often mark their presence at ceremonies.

This phenomenon results from stylists' choice of their favorite brands, as used to be customary, but also due to exclusive commercial agreements between luxury houses and celebrities, making them wear only the respective brand’s looks. These celebrities become ‘brand ambassadors,’ brand representatives who showcase the creations on red carpets and at other ceremonies.

These contracts, luxurious as they may be, still impose certain limits on celebrities, stylists, and, indirectly, other designers. Being in an exclusive agreement, those attending gala events must necessarily wear the brand they represent, or they would be in violation of the signed contract, turning it into a case for fashion law specialists.

Challenges for Young Designers

Due to exclusive contracts and the general preference of stylists for major brands for various reasons, being a young designer wanting to have creations worn on the red carpet is a huge challenge and costly.

Even though there are celebrities wishing to support emerging and startup brands, it remains an expensive challenge to have them recognized and gain enough buzz to be chosen by stylists or even considered for that. As previously seen, the average cost of dressing an Oscar nominee is $1.5 million, and even if the dress is not the primary investment, competing with already established brands familiar with the market is still a challenge.

What happens, in the end, is that the red carpet turns into a big business event concerned less with showcasing new fashion talents and more with reinforcing the power that luxury brands hold over the market.

Sustainability on the Red Carpet

Finally, a quite political decision by various artists attending red carpets is to reuse past looks or, more ambitiously, wear entirely sustainable outfits!

With the rise of sustainability themes altering how several industries worldwide operate, fashion and consequently the luxury market could not miss such an opportunity, especially on the awards red carpet. Being a significant marketing moment, this is a chance for independent brands working with sustainability, despite the challenges, to leverage their work.

Moreover, the sustainable movement is not only well-received in award shows but also officially supported by them: the Oscars officially boasts a page on their site about possible sustainable practices artists can adopt on the red carpet, involving which designer to choose, what materials the look is made from, or even reusing a past look.

Understanding the fashion business behind red carpets and award season ceremonies makes it easier to see the impact of dealmaking in the entertainment world.

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