By DHARM MAKWANA, 24 HOURS

Brains, beauty and a cause are quite the triple threat.

Summer Rayne Oakes, widely considered the world’s first eco-model, has broadened the environmental movement using her striking image as the hook to draw people to her cause.

“Many people still think environmental activism looks like Birkenstocks and hemp sacks and you want to fly in the face of that,” Oakes told 24 hours from Brooklyn, NY. “Fashion in many forms is an artistic impression. I like doing images that are thought provoking and 99.9 per cent of the time the clothes that I’m wearing are more sustainable.”

Oakes, an environmental sciences graduate of ivy-league Cornell University, established a consulting firm, which works largely with socially or environmentally relevant clients.

“A lot of times people will say, ‘We need a pretty face for a brand but we also need somebody to help us along the way,’” she said. “In a lot of ways it’s a two for one deal because my expertise is in this space.”

Major fashion labels are following Oakes’ lead.

“Mainstream trending towards sustainable fashions shows that it’s permeating the cultural swerve. But, a lot of times, the envelope is being pushed through independent designers who are incorporating more fair trade elements.”