“I am always interested in the stories behind the products we wear. Sometimes it’s about people and other times it’s about fibers,” said eco-campaigner Livia Firth at the Celebration for Earth Day event and film screening hosted by Eco-Age this week at The London Edition hotel.
She crisscrossed the globe pursuing those stories, traveling to Brazil to investigate the leather supply chain, and to Tasmania for wool.
Thursday night’s event was about promoting sustainability in the fashion industry and saw various discussions on the topic, led by Firth, who founded Eco-Age. Wilson Oryema, Arizona Muse and June Sarpong were among the speakers.
The evening also included a screening of the first in a series of short documentaries titled “Fashion-Scapes,” part of Eco-Age’s new project to discuss the story behind garment manufacturing.
Titled “Forever Tasmania,” the documentary will debut on Sunday, and shows Firth traveling to Tasmania to learn about the impact that wool has on the animals, on the land and on the environment. It features interviews with wool farmers and experts in the field of wool production.
Firth said she was surprised to see: “How distant we [are] from the stories behind our products and from the natural connection to nature, flora and fauna. We are so accustomed to synthetic fibers today that we don’t think about that connection anymore,” she said.
Looking ahead, Firth said Eco-Age, her specialist sustainability and communications consultancy, has just started work on the new edition of the Green Carpet Fashion Awards, Italia 2018. She will also attend the Costa Rica Omina Summit in June, which aims to tackle issues around sustainability.