Known for creating campaigns and frameworks on environment and social justice, Livia Firth is, simply put, a staunch advocate for sustainability. The Co-founder and Creative Director of Eco-Age, joined us on Instagram Live, kicking off the first of #ELLExTataCliQLuxuryforum, a new series with TATA Cliq Luxury and Indiluxe. The series curates engaging conversations with global icons across industries, sustainability and wellness.
Presenting the key takeaways from Livia Firth’s conversation with ELLE India’s Fashion Director, Malini Banerji:
Living a new normal after the pandemic
Livia Firth emphasises on the fact that post Covid-19, the world will be a changed place. “We will practice sustainability and ethical practices more than ever”, she predicts. Further, she adds that from the point of view of brands and business in fashion, labels that have strong stories to sell to their consumers, will survive this pandemic. Consumers will turn to products that undergo sustainable and ethical manufacturing processes. Firth says that “it is the only way forward”. Also, sustainability will go back to its original meaning which means ‘sustaining in time’. Brands will only be able to sustain in time if they have conceded their impact on the environment and people.
Disposable fashion
Firth hopes that the world can go back to a way where we consume fashion in a way that is not disposable. She highlights the fact that today, consumers are spending their purchasing powers on items which are used for a maximum of five times and thrown away. “I hope we can go back to quality, durability and treating fashion for what it is. We need to manufacture products beautiful products that can last for a longer time,” she adds.
A shift from big to small
The lines of distinction between online shopping and shopping at retail stores have blurred, according to Firth. “I think we’re going to go back to small, independent designers. Rather than going to the big brands, there will be a shift to the small producers, designers who may have small collections done in a very special way,” she says. These small, budding designers will survive better than the big brands in the future.
Synthetic versus vegan fashion
It’s a clear-cut fact that natural fibers are much more sustainable than synthetic fibers. Livia shares, “Synthetic fibers are made up of petrol and plastic, which are the two most polluting elements on earth. Also, synthetic fibers shed much more micro-plastic in comparison to natural fibers”. We need to promote fibers like hemp, econyl, cotton and wool.
When we quizzed her on fast fashion, she instinctively replied, “It is finished. It’s the end”.
For an insightful conversation between Livia Firth and Malini Banerji, take a look below:
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