'We've been brainwashed into buying cheap clothes': Colin Firth's wife Livia slams 'fast fashion' and reveals she only purchases outfits she will wear at least 30 times
Livia Firth, 46, is collaborating with M&S on an ethically sourced line
Criticised women who buy dresses and only wear them once
Wore a Valentino dress made from recycled plastic bottles to the Oscars
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As the wife of a Hollywood A-lister, many might expect her life to feature a conveyor belt of glamorous outfits.
However when it comes to fashion, Livia Firth bucks the celebrity trend and insists she only ever buys outfits she will wear at least 30 times.
The 46-year-old ethical entrepreneur, who is married to Bridget Jones actor Colin Firth, has criticised the culture of ‘fast fashion’ and its impact on the planet.
Livia Firth, a 46-year-old ethical entrepreneur who is married to Bridget Jones actor Colin Firth, has teamed up with Marks & Spencer on an ethically-sourced clothing range called The Edit (pictured)
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Livia Firth, a 46-year-old ethical entrepreneur who is married to Bridget Jones actor Colin Firth, has teamed up with Marks & Spencer on an ethically-sourced clothing range called The Edit (pictured)
The stylish Italian says she is appalled by the behaviour of young women who shop impulsively and often buy outfits for just one party.
Livia told the Daily Mail: ‘Today we buy on an impulse and without thinking, items we really don’t care for, or need, and we discard them quickly. You have young girls buying a dress just for one party.
‘This is totally unsustainable both on the planet and on people. We are depleting resources at an unprecedented speed.’
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Asked what advice she would give to women on how to buy more responsibly, she added: ‘Buy only clothes you really need and can commit to wear a minimum of 30 times.
‘Today we have to define the right kind of fashion as “ethical” because we have been brainwashed to think that it is democratic to buy a T-shirt for the same price of a sandwich.
‘I am 46, and when I grew up fast fashion did not exist. How did I go out every day without the options a young student has today?'
The Italian beauty says she is appalled by the behaviour of young women who shop impulsively and often buy outfits for just one party
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The Italian beauty says she is appalled by the behaviour of young women who shop impulsively and often buy outfits for just one party
Livia added: 'We bought very differently then - much, much less and always with an eye to quality and durability so we could build our sustainable wardrobe in time, full of pieces we loved and we took care of and used creatively.’
I don’t buy much but when I do my golden rule is: will I still wear it at 60?
She is the founder of Eco-Age, a brand consultancy firm advising businesses on how to become more sustainable.
Projects include installing a solar-powered recording studio for singer KT Tunstall.
Livia is now working with High Street retailer Marks & Spencer, and has helped to create an ethically-sourced clothing range called The Edit.
The collection includes formal wear, evening outfits and casual garments, with each item being selected based on the sustainability of its fabric and the reputation of the factory where it was made.
‘I don’t buy much but when I do my golden rule is: will I still wear it at 60? If the answer is yes I buy it.’
Colin Firth looks loved up with wife Livia at McQueen dinner
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Livia wore a Valentino dress made using recycled plastic bottles to the 2012 Oscars, which she attended on the arm of her husband (pictured)
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Livia wore a Valentino dress made using recycled plastic bottles to the 2012 Oscars, which she attended on the arm of her husband (pictured)
Livia said the reason she had been inspired to dress more ethically came after a trip to Bangladesh when she witnessed sweatshops workers forced to do 14-hour days in appalling conditions.
She also gave the example of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in India, which killed more than 1,100 people in 2013.
Italian-born Livia studied humanities at university in Rome before going on to complete a doctorate in cinema.
She got a job working with a TV producer and they went to Colombia to film a series called Nostromo where she met Colin Firth on set. She was 25, he was 35.
After setting up Eco-Age in 2008, she then developed the Green Carpet Challenge the following year.
The initiative is aimed at inspiring celebrities to wear sustainable clothing at red carpet events.
Colin Firth talks about working with Michael Caine at premiere
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For the premiere of A Single Man in 2009 (pictured) she wore a dress by an upcycling specialist
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For the premiere of The King’s Speech in January 2011, she wore an outfit made from one of her husband’s old suits
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For the premiere of A Single Man in 2009 (left) she wore a dress by an upcycling specialist, and for the premiere of The King’s Speech in January 2011, she sported an outfit made from one of her husband’s old suits (right)
For the Venice Film Festival premiere of A Single Man in 2009 she wore a dress by her friend Orsola de Castro, of the upcycling specialist, From Somewhere.
Similarly for the Paris premiere of The King’s Speech in January 2011, she sported an outfit made from one of her husband’s old suits, and when he won an Oscar the following month she modelled a dress patched together from 11 vintage frocks.
Her campaign has been supported by other stars including Meryl Streep, who wore a full-length gold gown by Lanvin made from eco-certified fabrics to the Academy Awards. Meanwhile Livia's Valentino dress was produced from recycled plastic bottles.
Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem and Viola Davis have also supported the initiative, as well as Cameron Diaz, who wore an organic silk dress by Stella McCartney to the Met Ball in New York.
