Climate change. Global warming. Whatever you call it, weird things—dangerous things—are happening to our weather, our oceans and our natural resources. And according to Livia Firth, Creative Director of Eco Age Ltd, what we wear, particularly if it’s fast fashion, matters a lot in this equation.

The climate crisis is complicated. Industry, reliance on fossil fuels, deforestation—they all play a part. But the one area we don’t seem to be talking about nearly enough, according to Firth, is fashion.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has famously said that you can’t be an animal-eating environmentalist. The math just doesn’t add up; animals, even those animals raised ‘ humanely’, just take up way too many resources to be part of an environmentally sensitive diet. This point continues to be argued, but studies have supported the claim.

And now, eco-fashion activist and change-maker Livia Firth is speaking out against our fast fashion choices, as they too seem to be irrefutably damaging to the environment, yet nearly as easy to change as our food choices. “Every single day we all perform two simple actions: we eat and we get dressed,” she wrote in a recent Huffington Post op-ed. “Could I even go as far as saying that we could solve climate change if we all dressed in a sustainable manner?”

It’s a logical question, but one we don’t seem to be asking nearly enough. “For some reason the fashion industry is often ignored, or cast aside as if it was an irrelevance,” she wrote. “The path to a more just and ecologically sound existence for us all is notoriously rocky, but each industry must play its part in cleaning up and bringing substantive change.”

The numbers are simply startling: Nearly 80 billion new garments are produced each year, according to Firth. Producing just one pair of jeans requires as much as 6,000 gallons of water. Then there are the dye colors and other chemicals involved–the making of zippers and buttons, etc., not to mention the packaging and transportation.

Firth writes, “[W]e are dependent on multifarious resources at a time when these resources are being degraded at unprecedented speed.” Cotton, the dominant fiber in the fashion industry, is what we often equate with simple, clean, even a safe fabric unlike rayon or polyester. But cotton requires more pesticide applications than any other crop, which in turn, contributes to the sickness of our waterways and soil, the chemicals in our air contributing to greenhouse gases and rising global temperatures. Firth says that the fashion industry is also “dependent on the animal kingdom and some of the most fragile ecosystems on earth.”

Firth and Eco Age worked with Gucci to offset some of its dependence on the conventional leather industry, which is one of the biggest drivers in deforestation, much in the same way beef is. “[F]ashion touches on every great environmental theme: climate change, declining available resources, lost wilderness, flooding, through to the flipside of flooding – drought,” she writes. “And of course, all of these are interconnected.”

Perhaps the importance of fashion is being ignored in the climate change discussion because fashion is often perceived as frivolous. We all wear clothes, but true Fashion, in the Anna Wintour or Coco Chanel sense, seems reserved for the few and beautiful. Most of us wear clothes, rather than fashion pieces. We eye clothing with the same lens of necessity as drinking water or breakfast foods. And when the choice is between a $20 pair of jeans or $200 organic denim ones, it’s understandable why we’re not having a more mainstream conversation about what we wear. “But while human kind continues to treat fashion as a frivolous side line, it pollutes and squanders with impunity,” says Firth. The fast fashion industry “has created a ‘factory of consumers’ whereas it is the offer to drive/create demand,” she says. “We buy in a rush and discard as quickly.”

So, while Fashion as an art, an industry, and a way of life for many, might not be a conversation the rest of us care to follow, we can start to make better choices. If you can’t buy organic or upcylced, you can buy gently used clothes. You can swap with friends. You can resist the urge to be Forever 21 and grow older gracefully with timeless pieces you don’t need to replace every season. According to Firth, “we’re on the threshold of a new fashion industry where ethics and glamour co-exist, where new fibres and technology minimise impact, where fashion brands begin to acknowledge their debt to the natural world and invest in sustaining it for their future and our future,” she wrote. “Could we solve climate change if we all were to buy carefully and get more ‘fashion mileage’ out of each piece?” Do we really have a choice?

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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Image: eflon

The post Livia Firth: Fast Fashion is Speeding Up Climate Change…Fast appeared first on EcoSalon.

April 24, 2013 was a horrifying day in fashion history. The catastrophic events of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh have sparked a momentous movement a year later. That day is now known as Fashion Revolution Day.

More than 1,100 garment workers—a third of those who entered the clothing factories that morning in Bangladesh—died in the collapse of the massive eight-story building. Ordered to come to work despite the warnings that cracks found in the building the day before could lead to an imminent collapse, the fashion industry demands flew in the face of safety, and the factory operators ignored the warnings for fear of losing money and clients.

The Rana Plaza collapse triggered protests and riots in Bangladesh over fashion factory working conditions. On June 5^th, police in Bangladesh opened fire on protestors who were demanding back pay and compensation that had been promised by the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the government. Several months later, more protests over wages led to fighting and gunfire from police.

No garment is worth this price.

The idea for Fashion Revolution Day was born out of the atrocity in Bangladesh and countless other conditions around the world that exist in the name of cheap, fast fashion. Fair Trade pioneer Carry Somers, fashion activist Lucy Siegel and Livia Firth came up with the idea to redefine the day and empower those lives lost in Bangladesh as a means to prevent more unnecessary tragedy. The event “will keep the most vulnerable in the supply chain in the public eye,” FRD says on its website. “Fashion Revolution Day is the day on which we will celebrate fashion as a positive influence, and all those who contribute to making it so. It will rally the high street, the high end, the new, the ancient, the innovators, the buyers, the shoppers, the media, the commentators, the activists and everyone in between.”

“We want people talking about the provenance of clothes,” Somers told Vogue, “raising awareness of the fact that we aren’t just purchasing a garment, but a whole chain of value and relationships. FRD will become a platform for best practice – for brands to show off what they are doing to improve things.”

But, Firth warns that we should be wary of greenwashing. “A paper bag here, an organic T-shirt there – some brands tick a couple of boxes and ignore the main issue,” she says. “Some mega brands still don’t give a damn but there are brilliant examples like Paul Smith who is absolutely in charge of his production chain.”

“As consumers, we want people to re-engage with fashion, slow things down a bit, love the clothes we buy more,” adds Firth. “Care about how they are made and by whom.”

It used to be this way. People we knew made our clothes, or people who sold the clothes to us knew who made them. Garments had tremendous value. Clothing, blankets, accessories, were made to last—and they did, for decades, generations. They were handmade, crafted with time and precision, not against corporate deadlines, ignoring safety and human decency.

Cate Blanchett told Vogue that garment manufacture demands the same attention as we’ve been giving to climate change, an issue she’s extremely passionate about. “If you offer options then it’s not sacrifice, it’s choice,” she says. “As well as the fundamental improvement to our spiritual health, buying with conscience is about the option to buy something for £1 that has the potential to blind 15 children as a result of an inhumane production line – or something else for £1.50 that will have a positive effect. Like climate change – we need to change the way we consume fashion. And if more individuals do then we make a change collectively.”

To participate in Fashion Revolution Day, people are being urged to wear one article of clothing inside out to signify their support of ethical fashion and more transparency in production. Take a picture or video of yourself in the inside out clothing and post online to Instagram or Twitter to @Fash_Rev with the hashtag #InsideOut. The campaign is also urging people to get in touch with the brands that make their favorite clothes and ask the question: “Who Made Your Clothes?”

“Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the Rana Plaza disaster was that, even a week later, many brands did not know whether or not they had been producing clothing within the building,” the campaign explains. “The theme for the first year brings the consumer to the forefront and tell brands that they want to know who made their clothes.”

The fallout from Rana Plaza has brought attention to the discussion about why “ethical fashion” needs to come to have the same definition as simply “fashion”—all fashion should be produced ethically, all the time. No one should be forced into working conditions that are unethical, unhealthy and unfair. If that’s the price of clothing—if we can’t do better than this—then perhaps we should wear nothing at all. “This is a global problem – we need to question how loyal we are to all brands to flush out sweatshops all over the world, even in developed countries, on our doorstep,” says Firth. “If we imagine we are voting every time we buy something, and we use our purchase power, then things will change.” They just have to.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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Image credit via Fashion Revolution Day

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This week’s Link Love edition is here! Goodies from the anti-fast fashion front, the vegan world of Cinnaholic, and the totally awesome world of snails.

Big ups to Livia Firth for slamming fast fashion. [via Xpose Entertainment]

Another attempt to socially network books has bitten the dust. Maybe readers just want to be alone. [via Salon]

This is how fashionista Diane von Furstenberg starts her day. How about you? [via Well+Good NYC]

Could the future of Cinnabon be vegan? [via Eat Drink Better]

You probably never gave snails that much thought. These images will change all that. [via demilked]

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Image via demilked

The post Link Love: Diane von Furstenberg’s Morning Routine + Vegan Cinnabon + Snails are Basically the Cutest Ever appeared first on EcoSalon.

C.L.A.S.S. founder Giusy Bettoni is educating the next generation of sustainable designers and entrepreneurs this week in NYC with a packed program that includes workshops on the latest in sustainable fabrics and natural dyes, to an eco-scavenger hunt through New York City’s garment district.

Fashion Institute of Technology is hosting Connecting the Dots, a forward-thinking three-day symposium for business owners, industry workers and students to learn about the positive impacts of taking a more sustainable design approach to the fashion, beauty, and health industries.

Beginning Wednesday, July 10, the event includes 

workshops, demonstrations, panels, an eco-fashion show, and a sustainable fashion tour around Manhattan. “I am very excited that we are able to offer 3 days of events around sustainable fashion, health and beauty,” said Christine Helm, Director of the Enterprise Center at FIT, “We are building on the excitement, exchange of ideas and knowledge that we started with last year’s event.”

In addition to running a textile, fashion, home and design business, Bettoni (left) is also the Green Carpet Challenge’s (founded by Livia Firth, right) go-to woman. (Image: FIT )

Milan-based Giusy Bettoni, cofounder of C.L.A.S.S., an international eco-platform that promotes environmentally friendly products and Livia Firth’s co-collaborator on the Green Carpet Challenge, will provide the keynote address entitled, “Welcome to the Third Dimension, Where Design and Innovation Meet Responsibility.”

We caught up with Bettoni to learn more about sustainable design:

Rowena Ritchie: What do you want people to know about the fashion, home and design products they currently buy? 

Giusy Bettoni: I believe it would be absolutely great for them to discover the majority of products they desire are not just performing from a design and functional perspective, but also from an environmental level which is incredibly low.

RR: Can you tell us about what led you to set up C.L.A.S.S. and how your organization creates more environmentally friendly products for the fashion, home and design industries? 

GB: I have a 30 year-long background in raw materials, fibers, yarns and fabrics. My goal was to turn them into something beautiful, precious, innovative and most importantly, eco-friendly. I founded C.L.A.S.S. to concretely prove that these new horizons of sustainable fashion textiles are not just possible, but actually represent a new step in the value chain. We have now created  “ecolibraries“ where brands and designers can source new, high-tech and responsible materials coming from natural, organic, recycled and renewable resources—each fabric meets our criteria of design, innovation and responsible certification.

The missing ingredient in today’s design world is products that are designed responsibly. There’s real added value and competitive market advantage available to us by promoting these qualities to the consumers; that’s the other dimension I’ll be discussing at the symposium.

RR: Why are educational events like FIT’s symposium so important?

GB: Sharing information and experiences is key to this new way of working with textiles. Education is so important. It’s what C.L.A.S.S. is really all about. We are really pleased and honored to be invited by FIT to be part of this symposium, and will do our best to disseminate what we have learned in the last years. I truly believe sharing and networking is the key to this movement’s success.

RR: Do you think there is a difference in the way eco-friendly fashion is received by consumers in Europe versus the U.S?

GB: Each country has his own lifestyle and culture, but I have to admit that the perception of eco-friendly fashion is quite the same everywhere and the perception is not as good, unfortunately. That is why a symposium like this one is so vital.  We need to show that responsible innovation in fashion creates a competitive business advantage, and not just a nice story.

RR: Tell us about your latest project with Livia Firth’s Green Carpet Challenge?

GB: The Green Carpet Challenge is a fantastic exercise, and we are always working at something special… I cannot go into detail now as it is early days, but I can say we are preparing something amazing for the next London Fashion Week!

 To learn more about Connecting the Dots: A Sustainable Fashion, Health and Beauty Symposium or to register for the event, click here, or call (212) 217-4000. 



Top Image: courtesy C.L.A.S.S.

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 The Green Carpet Challenge or the GCC is the brainchild of the always eco-fashionable Livia Firth (yes, wife of Mr Colin Firth) and has been buzzing since 2009. The challenge works with A-list designers and pioneering sustainability brands, to catapult sustainable green fashion onto the world stage, with many partnerships winding up on the red carpet.

Lots of well known celebrities and designers including Cameron Diaz, Julianne Moore and Tom Ford, have already participated in the initiative, but with a new website and a whole raft of new collaborations underway, we take a look at some of the recent Green Carpet Challenge projects.

1. Collaboration with Chopard

The latest collaboration and arguably one of the more interesting ones, has been between GCC and luxury jewelry line, Chopard. Chopard is working with the challenge, alongside the Alliance for Responsible Mining, in launching a new collection, appropriately named “The Journey.” The collection itself includes a gold diamond bracelet and matching earrings, with the materials being sustainably sourced and Fair-mined gold from community mines in South America. This is the first jewelry collection to be awarded the GCC brand mark; and  to add even more excitement to the occasion, the initiative was recently launched in Cannes. Chopard already has a fifteen year relationship with Cannes, being the sculptor of the coveted Golden Palm Trophy.

2. The Met Ball 2013

This year’s Met Ball was the third time the event had teamed up with GCC on the red carpet to promote green fashion. Livia herself even embraced the Punk theme with a specially designed Moschino dress, made of certified low environmental impact yarns. Just to add a quirky element to the evening, she added a peace sign to the back of her dress, made entirely of pins. She also recruited friends and eco advocates Emily Blunt and John Krasinkski to the cause. For her second foray in the challenge, having first participated last September, Blunt donned a black Carolina Herrera gown made with vintage wool fabric and silk chiffon, while Krasinski looked dapper in a Tom Ford suit made from low environmental impact woven wool. (the same one used for Bradley Cooper’s eco friendly suit at the Golden Globes.)

3. Gucci’s Green Bags

Livia Firth and the GCC also recently teamed up with Gucci, the Rainforest Alliance, and the National Wildlife Federation, to create a luxury handbag line made out of deforestation leather. The collection itself is the culmination of years of work in securing sustainably produced leather from the Brazilian Amazon, and has become the first leather product to be certified as ‘zero deforestation.’ The bag’s supply chain is also transparent and each bag comes with a GCC Passport containing important information for the consumer detailing the sustainability credentials, setting a new standard for brand accountability. The three new Gucci handbags: the Hobo, the New Jackie and the Top Handle Tote, all carry the stamp of sustainability.

Images: Eco Age

The post 3 Green Fashion Collaborations that Prove the Green Carpet Challenge is Going Strong appeared first on EcoSalon.

Cameron Diaz joins Livia Firth’s Green Carpet Challenge in Stella McCartney’s eco dress.

It’s great to see Cameron Diaz looking stunning in her eco-friendly Stella McCartney dress at the Met Ball on Monday night. Created as part of Livia Firth’s ongoing green carpet challenge, the low-backed column dress was made of Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified silk and dramatically embellished with ethically sourced beading. All that sparkle didn’t come easy according to Firth, writing on her blog, “Stella added thousands of beautiful glass beads and crystal chain, which gave us a new challenge for the future as we work on traceability and sourcing embellished materials.”

Worn by a world famous actress on the red carpet of fashion’s biggest promotional event of the year, the dress, its designer and green credentials are destined for maximum exposure with the quick flash of a paparazzi’s camera. It’s the break an up-and-coming sustainable designer would give their eye teeth for.

The phenomenon of celebrity fashion promotion is not new, but there has been a huge resurgence of this trend in recent times and if you stop to consider the names we see actresses wearing, they form a small pool of oft-repeated brands. Like so many of our products under closer examination, you discover most of those brands are owned by huge conglomerates that have considerable resources and power to win those celebrity endorsements.

So when the news broke last month that one of those luxury fashion conglomerates, PPR (who own the Gucci Group, which includes Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga amongst others) launched it’s Creative Sustainability Lab, the potential impact seems huge.

With a strategic, multi-faceted action plan over the next five years that includes a partnership with William McDonough’s Cradle to Cradle, 15 dedicated employees and an annual budget of more than $14 million; hopes for the initiative are high. Its ambitious goals include offsetting the entire organization’s carbon footprint for the year – more than 97,000 tons of carbon – and developing new processes and standards across the group’s luxury, sports, lifestyle and retail sectors.

According to PPR CEO, Francois-Henri Pinault, “PPR HOME will provide us with novel, more sustainable approaches to contribute to a better world for the long run.“

The post PPR Launches a Creative Sustainability Lab For the Luxury Fashion Industry appeared first on EcoSalon.

Take a look at some of the Met Ball’s most memorable looks.

Last night’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala (or the Met Ball, as it’s popularly known) is known as the event of the season for NYC’s fashion brigade. Along with the Oscars and Cannes film festival it’s one of high fashion’s most glamorous nights of the year with every photogenic fashion designer, model and starlet vying for the title of wearing the evening’s most photographed outfit.

The event has been an annual occurrence since 1948, when the Costume Institute was founded at the Met. It started as a rather dull affair until the legendary Diana Vreeland took over and injected the parties with their now signature flamboyance and flair.

Every year the gala is themed in accordance to an exhibit at the museum, this year is Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. It’s a theoretical “discussion” between the late designer Elsa Schiaparelli, and Miuccia Prada. You can count on lots of the the shocking pink invented by Schiaparelli and plenty of Prada.

Take a look back at some of the most unforgettable looks from recent years:

Diana Princess of Wales & Liz Tilberis, 1996

When Princess Diana went to the Met Ball in 1996, her stunning navy blue silk sheath with black lace detailing was a marked departure from her more demure eveningwear. The dress was John Galliano’s first creation as creative director at Dior.

Sarah Jessica Parker with Alexander McQueen, 2006

In  2006, Sarah Jessica Parker celebrated the opening of the Anglomania: Tradition and Transgression exhibit in British Fashion by wearing a strapless gown made with layers of tulle and tartan by UK designer, Alexander McQueen.

Anna Wintour in Chanel couture, 2008

If you thought Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief was powerful enough, note Queen of the Met Gala herself, Anna Wintour harnessing the superhero power of Chanel couture for the Met’s Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy theme in 2008.

Model muse Kate Moss, 2009

It was fitting that Kate Moss, arguably the decade’s most famous model, was the night’s main attraction for the opening of the Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion exhibition in 2009. Moss wowed in a gold lamé dress by her designer date for the evening, Marc Jacobs. She accessorized with a matching pair of YSL Tribute’s and a eye-catching turban by British millinery star Stephen Jones.

Livia Firth with husband, Colin Firth 2011

To celebrate the groundbreaking Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibit in 2011 eco fashion pioneer, Livia Firth wore Stella McCartney’s first-ever sustainable gown. Embroidered with reclaimed vintage beads, the skirt was made from Manila hemp, a fiber that requires very little water to harvest. Beneath the dress was a jumpsuit made from handspun organic silk, all her accessories were vegan.

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Now & Then: The History of the Pencil Skirt

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Read more Now & Then articles here.

The post Now & Then: The Met Ball’s Most Memorable Dresses appeared first on EcoSalon.

Celebrate the first blush of spring by leaving dark winter clothes behind and opting for soft hues of pink.

At first blush, it seems like spring is here to stay. Before we bring out those summer whites, let’s go through a transition period where we leave those dark solids of winter behind and instead opt for different hues of pink. There is no right or wrong, every shade of pink is equally on trend this spring. Combine your pinks with other pinks or soft beige hues for that sweet spring look that we are all so craving right now.

Hewn Ring with Ruby by Dawes Design
Jennifer Dawes’ exquisite jewelry combines her love of ancient civilizations with current cultural influences to make pieces that are modern with a distinct heirloom quality. All pieces are handmade to order at Dawes’ studio in rural Sonoma County, California. Available in 18k yellow, white or rose gold.
$1,950.00, Green With Glamour

Cosí Nero Quasi Blue Short Jumpsuit
Part of eco-fashionista Livia Firth‘s selection for shopping site Yoox, this jumpsuit by Italian designer Federica Martin Wedard sneakily looks like just a pretty dress from the front. When seen from the back, you realize it, indeed, has legs. It’s made from 100% organic cotton bio-satin and decorated with hand-painted brush strokes.
$648, Yoox

Angle Tee by Indigenous Designs
This tee by Indigenous Designs is fairly made in Peru from 100% organic cotton jersey and dyed using low impact dyes. The delicious raspberry pink color makes it the perfect match for a pair of pale pink shorts (see below). The flattering V-detail in the front gives it a twist that is part super hero part vamp. We like.
$53, Indigenous Designs

Balance Heels by Olsen Haus
One thing you don’t want to do is finish off your blushy outfit with a black pair of heels, it’s way too harsh and takes away from the soft look we’re going for. Instead, opt for a pair of nude heels like these vegan beauties from Olsen Haus. The silver strap creates a nice contrast with the cork heel without demanding too much attention.
On sale for $90, Mission Savvy

The Short Short by IOU Project
A pair of pale pink shorts is definitely a must-have this summer. The IOU Project produces unique, handmade apparel based on fabrics handwoven in India. Each IOU garment has a QR code, which you can scan to find out more about the artisans who made these shorts – probably one of the few times when transparency is a good thing when it comes to shorts.
Approx. $87.50, IOU Project

Zoya Nail Polish in Jessika
Nail polish is without a doubt one of the biggest trends right now and it’s a really fun and easy way to pull an outfit together. Just make sure you reach for the non-toxic stuff, like this nail polish from Zoya. This hue is called Jessika and is a flattering girly pink nude that’s both professional and adorable.
$8, Zoya

The post On Trend: First Blush appeared first on EcoSalon.

Livia Firth designs her first piece of sustainable jewelry and teams up with C.L.A.S.S. to create a fabric library.

We’ve been thrilled to follow Livia Firth, Creative Director of Eco Age and wife of Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth, as she has brought sustainability thinking onto the red carpets for a few awards seasons now. Her Green Carpet Challenge started out as a personal project, where she chronicled her conscious gown choices on her Vogue UK blog, but has garnered significant attention lately as Firth has managed to recruit some serious star-power.

Meryl Streep teamed up with Lanvin to create a golden gown made from eco certified fabric, Tom Ford created a gorgeous v-neck cocktail gown for Julianne Moore using vintage velvet and, for the BAFTAs, Viola Davis wore the first-ever eco Valentino gown.

For the Oscars this year, Livia Firth herself worked with Valentino’s studio to create a stunning red gown made from post-consumer recycled PET. Mr. Firth, who has done his fair share of green carpet challenges, played the recycling card and wore the same Tom Ford tuxedo he donned while accepting his Oscar for The King’s Speech.

It’s great seeing Firth challenging A-listers to dress consciously on the red carpet to make it a little more green. To make this easier for her fellow award show attendees, she recently teamed up with sustainable fabric guru Giusy Bettoni’s global network C.L.A.S.S. (Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy) to start the first Green Carpet Challenge Fabric Library. Designers and their celebrity clients can use this resource to find more sustainable fabric options, making the entire process of creating a green carpet gown much easier.

“We will offer the great designers who work with us a host of exciting ethical fibers and ideas and continue to push the boundaries of world class aesthetics with ethics,” says Firth.

What is really great about this new venture is that the Green Carpet Challenge Fabric Library will include offerings far beyond the typical eco staples like hemp and organic cotton. There are ethical and sustainable alternatives for a whole spectrum of materials, from wool, silk cashmere, cotton, linen, hemp, vegetable tanned and dyed leather to recycled polyester (eg. Newlife®), recycled polyamide, cashmere, cotton, denim and wool (eg. Cardato Regenerated).

“I have known and enjoyed working with Giusy of C.L.A.S.S. for a number of years,” Firth says. “Bringing together her unparalleled knowledge of sustainable fabrics with the GCC’s continued mission to increase the profile and the possibilities of sustainable style makes huge sense.”

We could not agree more.

Firth also recently launched her own eponymous eco-friendly fashion label, Livia Firth Design (LFD). This collection will feature a small line of luxury clothes and accessories designed by Mrs. Firth herself. Pieces are all produced with “love, fair trade rules and environmental standards in mind.”

The first piece from the collection to be released is a limited edition skull necklace. This necklace is Liva Firth Design’s first piece and it’s been made with sound manufacturing ethics in mind. The bronze used is made in the U.S. – in a solar powered factory – and is then sent to a jewelry-making co-operative in Devon in Southwestern England. There, the skulls are hand-crafted using the lost wax casting technique, a process developed by the Ancient Egyptians over 4000 years ago which involves covering a clay work of art in molten wax and allowing it to harden before covering it in a substance called “grog” to create a mold. The hot molten bronze melts the wax when it is poured in and a bronze sculpture is the result. Each of the four skulls on this necklace has been handcrafted in this manner, by artisan workers who are keeping age-old traditions alive.

The necklace is exclusive to Eco Age and features four handcrafted skulls on an unconnected chain, meaning that the necklace can be worn in a variety of ways (which Livia demonstrates in a the video clip below) and you can mix it up as you wish, wrapping it around your wrist or upper arm, or wearing it as a choker or pendant, depending on your mood and occasion. Intricately made with strength, playfulness and rebellion at its core, this necklace is guaranteed to bring an exciting edge to any outfit.

“LFD has at its heart simplicity and glamour and a little bit of playfulness, which should always be part of our life.” said Firth.

The post Livia Firth Debuts Handcrafted Jewelry and a Luxury Fabric Library appeared first on EcoSalon.

Is it just us, or does that red carpet look a little greener?

Tonight, while most people will tune into the 69th Golden Globes to see if The Help will beat out Moneyball for Best Picture, our eyes will be trained on the red carpet pre-show coverage to see Livia Firth kick off her annual Green Carpet Challenge. What can we say? She has us hooked.

Firth, who runs Eco-Age and is married to actor Colin Firth, started the Green Carpet Challenge in 2009 to bring attention to her work in ethical and sustainable fashion. That year, she pledged to only wear upcycled, vintage, and eco-friendly outfits while accompanying her husband on the red carpet during awards season. The following year, the challenge picked up speed when Colin was the Best Actor pick across awards shows for his performance in The King’s Speech. Livia was by his side the whole way through, notably in a gorgeous upcycled Gary Harvey dress at the Oscars.

This year, Firth has recruited an impressive roster of designers who will dress her for awards season in accordance with GCC’s strict ethical and sustainable standards. The list includes Tom Ford, Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Stella McCartney.

Tonight’s gown was designed by Giorgio Armani with eco-friendly materials, and Firth has been involved in its creation from day one. Firth described the process as “unreal” and writes on her blog:

To work with Armani was a real lesson in the design process. Everything begins with the material. Fortunately, Giorgio loved the eco material and knew he could work with it. The passion and efficiency of Giorgio’s team has been infectious.

Just before the show kicks off, Livia will release photos of and details about her dress on her Green Carpet Challenge blog at VOGUE UK. We’ll be there too.

Images: VOGUE UK.

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