Fronting one of the last independent global fashion brands, punk legend Vivienne Westwood puts out seasonal collection after seasonal collection with minimal environmental impact.
Case in point: the design team actively avoids difficult-to-recycle blended fibres, uses cotton from certified organic yarns, has banned the use of exotic skins and furs, has eliminated all use of plastic, limits the use of polyester and acrylic fabric (favouring recycled instead) and, in partnership with Greenpeace Detox supporter Texmoda Tessuti, has worked to eliminate hazardous substances from its manufacturing processes.
And if that’s not enough, today on Earth Day Westwood has made a commitment to protect the world’s most vital forest ecosystems by ensuring that no virgin wood pulp used to package its products, or produce rayon and viscose, modal and lyocell, comes from areas connected to deforestation and forest degradation and only comes from responsibly managed sources.
To ensure this happens, Westwood has announced a partnership with Canopy Planet, the nonprofit environmental organisation dedicated to protecting forests and endangered species. The first step in the partnership is the release of the video “Vivus”, created by Aidan Zamiri, which features a poem by spoken-word artist, model and visibility activist Kai-Isaiah Jamal.
Christopher Di Pietro, global brand director at Vivienne Westwood, says of the partnership, “We are longtime campaigners about the impacts of climate change. We hope this film will help draw attention to our campaign in support of the work Canopy has been doing to transform unsustainable supply chains to protect forests around the world – and with it our climate and wildlife.”
Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s founder and executive director, has said of the partnership, “Climate disruption, loss of species and the pandemic are global crises that all illustrate how consequential our every action is. Vivienne and her team know that brilliance coupled with imagination and pragmatic action will transform how our economy interacts with vital ecosystems.”
Did Burberry just own Earth Day?