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 actress 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 ...
actress 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.