Lena Waithe feels a "duty" to wear something that "reflects" her beliefs on the red carpet because there are so many "eyeballs" on her.
The 35-year-old screenwriter, actress and producer chooses to work closely with designers who use fashion as a "weapon", highlighting the rainbow cape - which was a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride and LGBT social movements - she wore to last year's Met Gala.
Lena Waithe attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
She said: "On the red carpet, there's so much press and so many eyeballs on you that I feel like it's my duty to wear something that reflects my beliefs.
"It's a reflection of the designers' beliefs too: for last year's Met Gala, I wore a Carolina Herrera rainbow cape by Wes Gordon and this year I wore Pyer Moss. Those designers know how to use fashion as a weapon."
And Lena loves that her style can be a "fashion and political" statement.
Lena Waithe arrives at the 11th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards Luncheon. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
She added: "I love that people are looking at what I wear, not just for the fashion statement but for the political statement as well.
"I want to keep that up but also keep it organic, because if you try too hard it can fall flat. So, when it's a wonderful collaboration - like this one with Mercedes-Benz and Christopher Raeburn, which makes a statement about sustainability - I'm excited to do it."
The 'Master of None' star went on to admit that she is a firm believer of upcycling her garments to help the planet.
Lena Waithe at the 2017 BET Awards. (Reuters)
She told British Vogue: "I haven't touched a sewing machine since high school. It [upcycling] felt like the right choice because there are so many people who aren't financially able to buy more and more.
"Instead of always looking to consume, I think we should make more of what we already have. We all want to help the planet, too, and it's great to do that through fashion."