You would think it would be hard to stand out if you were married to Academy Award Winning Actor Colin Firth, but Livia Firth does just fine. Well more than fine. Not only has Livia hit the genetic jackpot with legs that seem to go on for ever, but as Creative Director of Eco-Age and founder of the Green Carpet Challenge, this inspiring woman is at the forefront of promoting sustainable fashion.
For her latest project, Livia teamed up with retail giant Net-A-Porter.com on a project with some of Britain’s top designers. Livia collaborated with Victoria Beckham, Christopher Kane, Burberry Prorsum, Roland Mouret and Erdem to create a capsule collection of sustainable red carpet dresses available exclusively on Net-A-Porter.com. The collection was worn by actress Emma Watson for an editorial in Net-A-Porter.com’s magazine The Edit.
CLICK HERE TO SEE COUTURING’S ARTICLE ON EMMA WATSON’S GREEN CARPET CHALLENGE SHOOT FOR NET-A-PORTER
Couturing were lucky enough to get an exclusive quick Q & A with Livia to find out all about her latest collaboration with retail giant Net-A-Porter.com and her crusade promoting sustainability in the fashion industry.
COUTURING (C): Congratulations on the Green Carpet Challenge’s (GCC) collaboration with Net-A-Porter.com How did this exciting project come about?
LIVIA FIRTH (LF): The initial idea to create our first ever capsule collection came from a conversation I had with Anna Wintour over coffee. Also, we wanted to work with designers we hadn’t involved yet in the Green Carpet Challenge initiative (previously we worked with Jonathan Saunders, Stella McCartney, Tom Ford, and so on). Selling them on NET-A-PORTER.COM is incredible. NET-A-PORTER.COM is world’s premier online luxury shopping retailer and they have a huge power to change the fashion industry and lead it towards sustainability. We work with the designers to help them produce according to the GCC Brand Mark benching and with NET-A-PORTER.COM selling them…. we can revolutionize fashion together can’t we?
C: There is sometimes the perception that ‘sustainable fashion’ isn’t always fashionable. Why do you think it’s important for projects such as the GCC to show that protecting the environment and looking good isn’t mutually exclusive?
LF: I think that environmental and social justice have little to do with design. Unethical fashion is glamorous and ethical fashion is not – this is something of a contradiction if you think about it. I hope that the GCC is beginning to change people’s perceptions in this field. There is a huge number of people employed in the apparel supply chain, from those who grow the cotton to those in the so-called Cut Make and Trim Army. If we go deep enough into the supply chain we can uncover the real ethical and cultural capital of fashion!
C: As part of your work with Eco-Age, you help your clients apply sustainable practices to their business operations. Have you seen an increase in the number of companies interested in applying ecological intelligence to their operations?
LF: Absolutely. Things have changed enormously in the last year alone and more and more companies are reaching out to us. At Eco-Age we have uniquely merged our understanding of luxury, retail and branding with our existing rigorous approach to sustainability. Understanding that sustainability is at the heart of long-term commercial success. We help our clients to achieve growth through the application of ecological intelligence and sustainable practice – making our solutions perfect for brands and companies which are under increasing pressure to act responsibly. The launch of our very own GCC brand mark has now become a must-have for brands within the fashion, retail and accessories industries. Many large projects are underway teaming Eco-Age with some of the world’s most influential brands and this really will change how people perceive ethical fashion – its time has most definitely come!
You can shop the limited edition Green Carpet Challenge capsule collection on Net-A-Porter.com now.
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