Michaela Coel Is a Vision In Paolo Carzana

Nowadays, almost all of celebrity red carpet fashion is either plucked from the archives of years past or, like in the case of Michaela Coel’s latest outfit, a peek into the runway’s brightest young talents. Last night, the actress slipped into a look from the rising London designer Paolo Carzana, a specialist in sustainable glamour, to attend a dinner hosted by Net-a-Porter and De Beers.

Coel wore a muted gown from Carzana’s spring 2024 collection which was designed entirely out of recycled or deadstock fabrics and colored with plant dyes. The ankle-length piece featured sculptural draped detailing up top followed by a hip-baring cut-out towards the side. Carzana’s design signatures continued elsewhere within Coel’s dress, mainly from the crumpled hemline and raw-edge finish of the skirt. If the Welshman’s work looks familiar, it’s likely because Zendaya co-signed the brand as part of her Dune: Part Two press tour just a few weeks ago.

The Euphoria actress sported a matching yellow set while making her press rounds in Mexico City. In fact, Zendaya’s look was plucked from the same collection spring collection as Coel’s and featured similar distressing and cut-outs (both of which seem to be amongst some of Carzana’s recurring design signatures). Championing young designers has been a cornerstone of Zendaya’s approach to the red carpet—she recently introduced another London talent, Torishéju Dumi, to the big stage—and it looks like her industry colleagues are following suit.

The runway version of Coel’s look was shown with matching shoes but she instead opted for a pair of white kitten heels. The actress rounded out her look with glowing, dewy skin and a simple updo. With the evening’s other attendees, like Kate Winslet and Gillian Anderson, staying classic in power suits, Coel and her ecru gown stood out for all the right reasons.

Carzana’s unique twists on tried-and-true silhouettes make his brand a natural fit for the red carpet. Still, it’s refreshing to see celebrities co-sign an emerging designer so early on—Carzana, who graduated from the University of Westminster in 2018, staged his London Fashion Week debut just a little over a year ago and was recently shortlisted for the prestigious LVMH prize. We’d wager that there’s a growing list of stars itching to sport his clothes very, very soon.