Kingsman: Dressed To Kill

You don't often think of the red carpet of the movie premiere as the place to showcase ethical fashion. Well, that's changed somewhat with the release of the brilliant spy movie Kingsman: The Secret Service. It's all thanks to the star of the movie, Colin Firth. Or rather, his secret weapon. His wife Livia.
If you follow ethical fashion at all, the name Livia Firth should certainly be familiar to you. An eco-fashionista of many years standing, as head of brand consultancy Eco-Age she's been at the forefront of getting ethical clothes into the papers. Kingsman has been an opportunity to let hubby Colin show that you can look superspy-sharp without doing harm.

His bespoke suit for the premiere of Kingsman was crafted by London tailor Martin Nicholls, to strict ISO 4001 environmental standards. Made exclusively in Yorkshire, the suit makes no compromises as to quality, fit and finish. If, as his character Harry Hart says in the film, the suit is the armour of the modern gentleman, then Firth is very much dressed to kill.
None of this should be a surprise, of course. One of Livia Firth's major accomplishments has been the Green Carpet Challenge, which has persuaded A-list Hollywood stars to hit their premieres and the awards shows in ethical clothing. She's been known to rock up with Colin in upcycled clothing, and urges her actor pals to do the same. A tricky call, when the gossip rags will tear you a new one for daring to wear the same dress more than once. All the more reason for doing it, frankly, especially as the male stars can wear the one tux year-in, year-out without a single snide comment.
Kingsman has another ethical trick up its exquisitely tailored sleeve. All the suits in the film (and believe me, everyone is extremely well-turned out. This is one fashion-conscious movie) were made to the same standards as Colin's Green Carpet Special, by British tailors working to solid ethical standards. Better yet, a new range of clothing based on the film is being launched through high-end tailor Mr. Porter. Which means that you too can dress like a Kingsman. It's telling, I think, that the script makes explicit reference to a well-made suit lasting a lifetime. This is a notion that we've been banging on about here at The Pier for quite some time: spend more, buy well. Could this be the year that dressing well and ethically becomes fashionable? One can but hope...
Kingsman: The Secret Service is in UK cinemas now, and premieres in the US on February 13th.
You can check out the Kingsman collection by Mr Porter here.
My review of the film is over at my other gaff, film and culture blog Excuses And Half Truths. Take a look!