Joining fellow Chiswick resident Livia Firth in their passion for ethical fashion

Downtown Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern joined fellow Chiswick resident Livia Firth with her Green Carpet Challenge. "Styled by our very own Jocelyn Whipple, she [McGovern] wore Henrietta Ludgate to the Royal Television Society Awards." wrote Livia on her Vogue blog.

"I've always hoped that we can convince/attract more and more actresses to walk the walk (down the red carpet in ethical fashion), with us as this is one of the aims of the GCC and I'm so delighted Elizabeth is the first - one of the most talented actors I know and I think she looks fabulous too.

"The dress is made from locally sourced up-cycled wool, embossed with a faux astrakhan pattern, with silver pyramid stud embellishment at the waist. Wool is sustainable, renewable, biodegradable and generally all-round kinder to the environment than oil-based synthetics, which contribute to global pollution."

Speaking about her own passion for ethical fashion Livia explains how the Green Carpet Challenge began, "Last year my friend Lucy Siegle challenged me to go through all the red carpets unfurled for the awards season dressed exclusively in sustainable style. We launched our diary of this on Vogue.com, entitled The Green Carpet Challenge."

The latest creation was the Gary Harvey designer dress Livia wore to the Oscars where her husband Colin Firth won the Best Actor award.

"As creative director and co-owner (with my brother Nicola) of Eco Age, I had some interest in the environmental impact and social justice implications of the clothes I wear. But just to place myself in the green scene, I am not a classic "eco warrior" and should confess that I'm even a little tired of words such as "eco," "green" and "ethical." It's more that I dream of a world where everything is ecological, green and ethical so that actually we don't have to define them anymore. I do believe that it is our responsibility to ask questions about the implications that our lives have on the environment, whether you want to define this in terms of carbon footprint (climate change), or the people who manufacture the things we use, eat and wear (trade), or both."

She concluded: "The Green Carpet Challenge has always been about raising the profile of designs and designers who do things different to the mainstream. They prioritise social and environmental justice along with their aesthetic. It has also been responsible for educating me on the trials and triumphs of wearing fashion with ethics. Once you get into this I don't think it's possible to go back."

March 17, 2011