Summer in the City – from Page Six Magazine (NY POST)
“Eco-model” could be an eye roll–inducing label, if only its owner, Summer Rayne Oakes, 24, didn’t cause jaws to drop instead. At 13, she became a member of the Environmental Advisory Council in her hometown of Montdale, Pa.; at Cornell University, she juggled a double major in natural resources and entomology (yep, the study of bugs) with modeling—but only for socially conscious brands. “I’ve turned down some really significant jobs that probably made my agent cry,” laughs the Williamsburg resident.
She launched her unique career realizing that “if I were to create real change, I would have to step outside my small science circles and reach new audiences.” Hence her new hosting gig on Discovery’s Planet Green—where she supervised an eco-battle (i.e., a contest to decide who can live greener) between musicians Ludacris and Tommy Lee—and her line of affordable green footwear, Zoe & Zac, for Payless. Now she can add “lifestyle guru” to her jam-packed résumé, as her book, Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty hits stores today. Summer describes the tone as an “irreverent, witty” guide for green virgins. And yet, for all her self-serious references to being a “sustainability strategist,” Summer is wry and savvy, admitting a desire to “obliterate” competing books because hers “looks so much better.” She also acknowledges, “Not everyone’s going to spend $20 to save a polar bear.” A green activist who’s also mindful of the economic climate? Now that’s down-to-earth.
“Some people say, ‘Paris Hilton’s wearing that shirt, I think I’ll go get one,’ but how do we empower people to do stuff on their own?”
dress by Carasan; purse by World of Good.
