L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano " F a s h i o n h a s t h e p o w e r t o c r e a t e c h a n g e . S u s t a i n - ability is not just a trend, it's a necessi- ty for a better future." Livia F i r t h c e l e b r a t e d i n L o s A n g e l e s o n M a r c h 9 t h the Green Carpet Fash- ion Awards at the Neue- House, an event she creat- e d i n 2 0 1 7 t o d r i v e t h e fashion industry toward a f u t u r e c e n t e r e d a r o u n d human and ecological jus- t i c e . F i r t h , a l o n g t i m e activist and founder of the global sustainability con- s u l t i n g f i r m E c o A g e , brought her Green Carpet Fashion Awards back to Cal- ifornia, where she launched the Green Carpet Challenge in 2010. T h i s a w a r d s c e r e m o n y honored the fashion world's commitment to sust a i n- a b i l i t y . P e n e l o p e C r u z , Olivia Colman, Thandiwe Newton, Cate Blanchett, and Michael Fassbender have supported the challenge by wearing sustainable brands o n t h e r e d c a r p e t . V i o l a D a v i s , w h o w o r e a g o w n m a d e f r o m r e c y c l e d s o d a c a n s i n 2 0 1 2 , a n d C a t e Blanchett, a champion of re- wearing outfits, are just a few examples of artists who are leading the charge for sustainability. Designer Tom Ford is a l s o m a k i n g a d i f f e r e n c e with his sustainable initia- tives, like Tom Ford Ocean. T h e A m e r i c a n f a s h i o n designer launched, in 2020, his first luxury watch made entirely of recycled ocean plastic. The Swiss watch, called the Tom Ford Ocean Plastic Timepiece No. 002, was created to address the problem of plastic waste, s o m e 8 m i l l i o n t o n s o f which spill into the oceans each year. "This is not the celebra- tion of an industry with the power to distract. Rather it's the recognition of an indus- try that needs to leverage its power for people and the planet," Italian-born Giuggi- oli says. "Fashion can and should be a lifeline. We need to come together and forge strong paths with human and ecological justice center s t a g e . A l l t h o s e a w a r d e d here today look crisis and conflict in the eye. By doing that, and actively creating o u r f u t u r e , w e e m b r a c e a c t i v e h o p e . T h e G C F A s champion active hope and d e e p , t r u t h f u l w o r k f o r transformation." The Green Carpet Fash- ion Awards brought togeth- er the fashion and entertain- ment industries for action toward change, and includ- ed 6 award categories this y e a r : T h e V i s i o n a r y , T h e Messenger, The Rebel, The H e a l e r , T h e S a g e , T h e F u t u r i s t . T o t h e m w e r e added two special awards to entertainment personalities w h o h a v e d i s t i n g u i s h e d themselves for their com- mitment to social and envi- ronmental justice. Tom Ford r e c e i v e d " T h e V i s i o n a r y " h o n o r f o r l a u n c h i n g t h e Tom Ford Plastic Innova- t i o n P r i z e i n p a r t n e r s h i p with Lonely Whale, the only global competition focused on creating alternatives to thin-weave, modular, bio- logically degradable plastic bags. Mrs. Firth, when was the Green Carpet Chal- lenge born? It was born in January 2 0 1 0 w h e n I w a l k e d t h e Golden Globes red carpet alongside my ex-husband Colin Firth wearing a reused wedding dress. Since then, the GCC involved some of the biggest names in Holly- w o o d , i n c l u d i n g M e r y l S t r e e p , J u l i a n n e M o o r e , L u p i t a N y o n g ' o , C a t e B l a n c h e t t , V i o l a D a v i s , Emma Watson, Thandiwe N e w t o n , O l i v i a C o l e m a n , Zendaya, and many more. It has also been credited as an initiative that has forever changed the discourse about sustainable fashion. How did the Awards c o m e a b o u t f r o m t h e challenge? After 13 years of dressing celebrities on the red car- pets, more recently we ele- vated the sustainable fash- ion discourse and managed to make it more accessible t o e v e r y o n e . A t t h e s a m e time, we live in a very deli- cate moment where the sus- tainability discourse is being undermined by greenwash- ing, so we needed to create a new narrative about what sustainability is, using fash- ion as an excuse. W h a t i s t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t a s p e c t o f these awards? The Green Carpet Fash- ion Awards are not just a celebration, but a recogni- tion of the industry's poten- tial to bring about meaning- ful change. Fashion touches billions of lives around the world and has a significant impact on the environment. The awards aim to harness this power to create a better future for people and the planet. W h a t m e s s a g e d o e s a n a w a r d l i k e t h e o n e r e c o g n i z e d f o r T o m Ford send? T h e T o m F o r d P l a s t i c Innovation Prize encapsu- lates the spirit of Tom Ford himself, who sees not prob- lems but opportunities to do better. The Plastic Innova- tion Prize is an example of his energy, drive, and vision. Ford says "We plan to elimi- nate this hideous thin mate- rial that has a catastrophic effect on other species and ecosystems." And he intends t o r e m o v e a l l b a r r i e r s t o change. W h a t o t h e r f i g u r e s d i d y o u c h o o s e t o honor? G C F A s a l s o h o n o r e d y o u n g c l i m a t e a n d s o c i a l justice leaders who are at t h e f o r e f r o n t o f c u r r e n t transformation, by request- i n g t h a t a l l O s c a r w e e k e v e n t s f e a t u r e a y o u n g activist as a guest speaker. Nobel Peace Prize nominee and climate justice activist V a n e s s a N a k a t e , S p e c i a l A d v i s o r y M e m b e r t o t h e United Nations Secretary- General Sophia Kianni, and environmental and human r i g h t s a c t i v i s t H e l e n a G u a l i n g a a r e a m o n g t h e y o u n g l e a d e r s w h o w i l l attend the GCFAs. The world of fashion i n v o l v e s t h e w o r l d o f activism. Yes, passing the micro- phone to young activists is one of the most important things we can do right now. I t ' s n o t a b o u t g i v i n g o u r blessing, but recognizing that young activists are the driving force of empower- ment. To them, we owe an important debt and grati- tude. They are often praised and their dynamism is rec- ognized, but this can also be d o n e s u p e r f i c i a l l y a n d , often, they are still kept at arm's length. We at GCFA believe that young climate and social justice leaders should be at the center of major events, from political and climate negotiations to major entertainment events. W e a s k a n y o n e a n d a n y organization that their "plus one" be an invitation to a C l i m a t e a n d N a t u r e activist. What is the most diffi- c u l t c h a l l e n g e f o r designers these days? There is no longer a chal- lenge, we have all the solu- tions we need. So those who d o n ' t f o l l o w t h e m . . . i t ' s because they don't want to. F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , visit https://www.greencar- petchallenge.com/ Livia Firth brings sustainable fashion to Los Angeles SILVIA NITTOLI Livia Firth with Tom Ford (Photo: Dave Bennet) LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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