While you are reading this I am joining the thousands of people standing up and taking action on behalf of children everywhere to demand toxic-free fashion.
As a parent and a Greenpeace Italy volunteer I am here at the very heart of the fashion industry, Milan, to open the city’s renowned fashion week and send a message, loud and clear, to those luxury brands that continue to hide an ugly truth behind their beautiful clothes.
Follow what’s happening, and join me in taking action.
UPDATE: The activity is now over. Now it's your turn - go to Versace's Facebook page to demand toxic-free fashion.
Greenpeace’s latest report showed how luxury fashion brands are using hazardous chemicals to make kid’s clothes. As a father this is an issue close to my heart. I am shocked by the very idea that the clothes these brands sell are contributing to the pollution of the waterways we all rely on and putting our children’s future at risk.
I am sure there is another way, and this is why I am taking action today.
I might not buy Versace clothes for my kid but, by using these hazardous chemicals, these supposedly trendsetting brands are putting us all in danger. These hazardous chemicals are being released from the factories and the clothes themselves - when they are washed - leading to the accumulation of toxic substances in our rivers and lakes, many of which have hormone disrupting properties.
I truly believe this can change. So do concerned parents, fashion fans and activists across the globe, and 20 fashion leaders including Valentino and Burberry, forward thinking brands that have been moved by our collective action and committed to toxic-free fashion.
It’s time for Versace to follow the trend and create fashion we can all be proud of.
Stefano is a volunteer at Greenpeace Italy.