Vivienne Westwood and Cool Earth tablecloths

Vivienne Westwood has added another credit to her long and illustrious list, that of eco campaigner for Cool Earth.  The grand dame of British fashion, who has long been an activist and campaigner, is championing the cause of Cool Earth, that fights to save endangered rainforests.

I was first introduced to Cool Earth through my friend – London’s most outrageous socialite, Daniel Lismore – who became involved in turn through his friend, Vivienne Westwood herself. I attended a fundraiser for the cause hosted by Lismore and Westwood, at which she eloquently stressed in a speech to those attending, the vital importance of preserving our rainforests as the first step in the global fight against climate change.  Westwood ended her speech with the dictum “It’s no fun being extinct,” which if global warming is to continue apace, we could well end up being!

In an effort to raise further funds for such a worthwhile project, the designer has launched a range of limited edition tablecloths – perhaps somewhat ironic as many household tables are made of wood, but then Westwood is well-known for such subversivism and the gesture may also point at the use of tablecloths as a stylish cover for old dining tables, rather than replacing them with new ones.

The cloths are not cheap. At £1,000 the owner will be getting a hand-signed item in a signature Westwood design, some featuring messages from her well-known archive of activism (such as Active Resistance to Propaganda and Loyalty 2 Gaia), others brand new and the knowledge that their money is going to a worthwhile cause.

The sale of each tablecloth will save nearly 17 acres of endangered Peruvian rainforest and 100 per cent of the profits from the sale of the tablecloths will be donated to Cool Earth: “The great thing about Cool Earth is that its activities are focused on the main problem, deforestation. The money they spend has maximum effect, working alongside indigenous people, putting mechanisms in place to save the rainforest.” – Vivienne Westwood

The Cool Earth campaign has also been championed by Sir David Attenborough and with words of support coming from two such authoritative sources, who are we to ignore?  Spruce up your old table this spring (especially if you were thinking of buying a new one) with a Vivienne Westwood for Cool Earth tablecloth and help fight deforestation and global warming.

Ian Turner

To purchase a Vivienne Westwood for Cool Earth tablecloth click here

To find out more about Cool Earth click here