Last of the Immortals promotes design as an agent for change in response to the climate crisis
Its mission is to raise awareness about the source of raw materials, campaign for honest product labelling and to be part of the transition to a circular economy
In Greek myth, Astræa is the last of the immortals to flee Earth and escape the destruction caused by man’s corruption and greed
Astræa was calling for humanity to respect and recognise justice and Earth’s planetary boundaries
Her promised return offers hope of a new Golden Age where values are renewed and harmony and balance restored
In the spirit of Astræa’s climate activism, and horrified by continued greenwashing, excessive consumption and textile waste, Last of the Immortals calls for designers and producers to take responsibility for the choices they make. The balance of responsibility and guilt must shift from consumer onto producers and suppliers whose material choices continue to fund the fossil fuel industry and the destruction of our ecosystems.
The lack of accountability for the continued use of harmful substances in textile production, including fossil fuels, echoes the greenwashing and mis-information of the sugar and cigarette industries before they were regulated to market more responsibly.
Our first project, The Protest Sock, shines a light on the undeclared use of plastic in clothes and textiles, and a law that allows it to continue despite the UK Parliament declaring of a climate emergency in 2019. How can fossil fuel derived polyester sewing thread, plastic buttons and other plastic components such as synthetic labels go undeclared?
There is an urgent need for our Government to legislate for labelling of all fossil fuel derived materials to allow consumers to hold the textile industry to account for its contribution to climate breakdown.
After years as a designer for the fashion industry I want to turn a legacy of producing landfill into a challenge to do better through design and campaign for positive change.