Livia Firth Stuns in Recycled-Bottle Gown - How YOU Can Follow Suit

By Laura Hogg
From the NatuREport Blog Series

Welcome back to NatuREport! In this week's news - Colin Firth's wife Livia is making headlines for donning a gown made of recycled plastic bottles. Read on to discover how you can "greenify" your wardrobe!

If I had asked you to spot the dress on the Golden Globes red carpet that was made of recycled plastic bottles, you probably would have been looking for, well, plastic bottles. So often when celebrities wear outfits made of recycled materials, it's not so much to promote "green" fashion values as it is to promote the wearer: Look, my dress is made of plastic. Look how I'm making a point about recycling. Go see my movie/watch my TV show/buy my book because clearly I am a good person.

Okay, I get it, but that doesn't mean I'm about to wear a dress made out of bubble wrap.

That's why it's so refreshing to see Livia Firth (wife of Colin) promoting "green" fashion in a way people would actually want to emulate. Looking at the red carpet, you probably never would have guessed that her stunning Armani gown originated in recycling bins scattered across Italy. Let's take a look:

Not bad for something most of us toss away without thinking, eh?

The gown was made from yarn created by a company called Newlife. Newlife hopes to produce 10,000 tons of yarn per year by the 2015. This would avoid adding 72,000 tons of plastic to landfills, and save 343 million gallons of water in the process.

Firth wore the gown to kick off the third year of her Green Carpet Challenge. The GCC is her way of promoting sustainable ideals for fashion, and it's a little bit revolutionary in Hollywood, where it's a sin and a scandal to wear the same dress twice. Instead of donning the latest from this year's collections, Firth wears dresses that are vintage, upcycled, or created from sustainable materials. She has enlisted such sartorial giants as Chanel, Gucci, and Stella McCartney to promote the GCC. From Livia's blog, here are some of her other "green" gowns:

London premiere of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - previously worn Stella McCartney dress:

Venice Film Festival - upcycled dress, her own design:

The Ethical Awards - upcycled vintage dress (her mother's!):

2011 Oscars - 11(!) vintage dresses upcycled into one

As the wife of an Oscar winner, it's not surprising that Livia has the means to afford such gorgeous green couture. But that doesn't mean that the rest of us can't enjoy gorgeous eco-friendly fashion. Here are some affordable options:

1 | 2 | 3

More power to Livia for setting a great example! I am personally a big fan of shopping for vintage on Etsy and scouring thrift shops. How do you greenify your wardrobe?

Sources: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG9017535/Livia-Firth-kicks-off-her-2012-Green-Carpet-Challenge-at-the-Golden-Globes-in-Giorgio-Armani.html

http://www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/livia-firth

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/livia-firth-kicks-off-2012-green-carpet-challenge

NatuREport Series
A blog series by Laura Hogg.Next:Awesome Green Gadget: 3-D Printer that Runs on Your Recycling Previously:This Couple Lives in a 129-Square-Foot House - Could YOU Do It?

2 Comments

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Bri Luginbill
Absolutely LOVE this blog. :) I still cannot believe her whole dress was made of recycled bottles finely woven into threads. Just plain amazing.

Love the 1st and 3rd on upcycled fashion tips. I cannot believe they were made from men's t-shirts and men's plaid shirts.

I am big into thirft store shopping and almost always (but not every time) buy my clothes from those stores. It's such a good way to be green. :)
Commented on HelloLife January 18 at 8:57 am
Nancy
that is so cool - it's not like you can even tell the dress was made of recycle material from the pictures attached (unless you were told how would you know)? As an added plus she looks great.
Commented on HelloLife January 18 at 9:06 am