Maria Sharapova champions sustainable fashion at British Fashion Awards, advises Emma Raducanu and other youngsters to "enjoy every moment" on and off the court

Maria Sharapova turned heads with her sustainable fashion choices at the recently-held British Fashion Awards in London. The former World No. 1 wore a dress made from recycled plastic bottles to the red carpet event, which was hosted at the iconic Royal Albert Hall.

Designed by Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, the dress made use of Evian water bottles and organic silk. It featured the designer's signature three-dimensional patterns that mimic patterns of the wave.

Speaking of the inspiration behind the dress, van Herpen said the aim was to highlight sustainable development goals and shape people's perception of recycling.

“Collaborating with Evian on this project has been a great experience," van Herpen said. "Particularly as we have shared sustainability goals and desire to reduce our impact on the planet.”

"I hope this dress will shape people’s perception of upcycling and recycling plastic by reinforcing the different forms the product life cycle can take," she added.

Sharapova shared photographs from her appearance at the awards show on her social media handles. She revealed in her Twitter post that the dress took an entire year and nearly 800 hours of work to complete.

Sharapova took a moment to reflect on her bold fashion choices over the years, while also speaking on how female athletes have to deal with a lot of hostile reactions for pursing creative projects outside of their sport.

The Russian said succeeding on the big stage can bring a lot of uninvited attention, but highlighted the learning opportunity that came with it.

On being asked to give out advice to youngsters, including the likes of Emma Raducanu, on finding the right balance, Sharapova encouraged them to embrace all on and off-court opportunities and "enjoy every moment".

"You learn through it," Sharapova says of the experience. "When [you’re young] and you succeed and become a champion, there are certainly going to be opportunities off court that come your way."

"Emma [Raducanu] is an incredible athlete," she continued. "What she has achieved at such a young age is very rare in the sports world and she has to enjoy every single moment of it."

"When that happens, it's incredibly overwhelming" - Maria Sharapova on finding success at a young age

Maria Sharapova with the 2004 Wimbledon Championships trophy.

Sharapova also reflected on her early success, revealing that winning the Wimbledon Championships at the age of 17 came very "unexpectedly". The 34-year-old said she even though she believed in her abilities, she never felt ready to win seven successive matches in a Grand Slam overnight.

Sharapova said this sort of sudden success can often feel "overwhelming", but was quick to add that it's also a "beautiful" feeling that players can cherish forever.

"From my own experience at a young age, winning Wimbledon came so unexpectedly," Sharapova said. "I never thought that I was physically ready to win seven matches in a 14-day period,” Sharapova said.

“I was a prodigy from a young age and I had the prospects and I was getting better and better, but I didn't think that I was ready to win a Grand Slam. When that happens, it's incredibly overwhelming, ou still can't quite believe it. Emma and her family will cherish that beautiful feeling forever, because it is all so exciting."

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