Livia Firth And London Fashion Week
Chiswick eco-campaigner talks about her latest fashion project
Chiswick eco-campaigner Livia Firth’s drive for recycling is not confined to the red carpet and fashion catwalk.
The wife of Oscar-winner Colin Firth reveals that she hates waste even in the kitchen, and has even dressed her youngest son in second-hand clothes.
As she launched her new initiative, Green Cut, which brought together fashion and film in a glamorous London Fashion Week event, she said that she always cooks from scratch.
“Old salad will become minestrone and I’m good at taking all the leftovers in the fridge and inventing something new.”
She’s also tried to grow her own veg in the garden in Chiswick.
“I haven’t been very successful this year, mainly due to the weather."
Her sons Luca, (11), and Matteo,(9) are also young eco-warriors. Asked if it was true that Matteo wears second-hand clothes, she replied in an interview;
“Of course I buy him new clothes sometimes. They are getting to that age when teenagehood kicks in and they want to conform. I can’t be the bad one all the time."
For her London Fashion Week initiative, eight high-profile designers, including Tom Ford, Stella McCartney and Alice Temperley were asked to create ethical outfits, each referencing an iconic British film, and displayed at Somerset House.
The Stephen Jones hat was inspired by My Fair Lady, for example, while the metallic dress is Tom Ford’s homage to the 1960s film Darling.
Firth also praised the Duchess of Cambridge for her willingness to repeatedly wear the same dress and shoes.
“It’s important that women who get that kind of attention make a statement. For the press, it has been shocking, but for other women, it’s beautiful to know that celebrities have the courage to wear the same dress twice.
“My ambition is for the entire fashion industry to become completely green.
“People woke up sooner in the food industry, but things are starting to move in fashion too. Look at all the designers who have joined in. I think people are scared of change, but it’s actually quite fun.”
September 20, 2012