MILANO, Italy — May 24, 2012 — According to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 is the Year of the Dragon,
bringer of harmony, strength and good fortune. It also marks a pivotal moment for C.L.A.S.S., the
global eco forum and showroom network created by Giusy Bettoni five years ago to support brands and
retailers in the pursuit of innovative and environmentally ethical products for fashion, home and
design through a wide range of textiles, yarns, processes and services.
Now in addition to the showrooms in Milan and London – both of which have a comprehensive
library of materials available for businesses, designers and buyers who genuinely care about the
future of planet Earth – a new one is about to open in Helsinki. For, in true Nordic spirit, the
capital of Finland is a place where people are particularly sensitive to all matters involving
environmental protection.
The opening, in partnership with Design +, a major Finnish design studio specializing in
fashion and also in sustainable business consultancy services and in the development of new
platforms for young designers,represents another step forward in the C.L.A.S.S. founder’s
pioneering work to promote environmentally ethical fashion in Scandinavian countries. Specifically,
it follows the Copenhagen Fashion Summit held on May 3 with the objective of bringing together
leading figures from the industry who pursue a common vision of eco‐friendly and sustainable
business. At the event, where C.L.A.S.S. played an upfront role in advocating eco‐fashion projects
for sustainable consumption, Giusy Bettoni served as textile advisor on the panel of judges that
evaluated the 15 prominent Scandinavian designers who took part in a runway fashion show
competition.
Copenhagen also had an area dedicated to the partnership signed last March between Livia
Firth, creative director of Eco‐Age.com and founder of the Green Carpet Challenge (a project all
about getting stars to grace the world’s most spectacular red carpets in nature‐friendly gowns) and
Giusy Bettoni of C.L.A.S.S. The first Green Carpet Challenge Fabric Library is a result of this
alliance.
A further initiative on the Scandinavian front – together with the opening of the third
showroom – is an installation featuring clothes made from C.L.A.S.S. fabrics at the Bio Rex Theatre
in Helsinki during the Fashion Summit due to take place on May 24. The aim of the Helsinki summit
is to give international visibility and support to the young fashion brands that have emerged
strongly in the Finnish capital in the last decade. The installation is the work of Design + in
cooperation with C.L.A.S.S. and its partners, official suppliers of the fabrics used to create the
outfits on display.
Giusy Bettoni is keeping busy in Milan too. The latest on her agenda of activities is the
important talk she is to give on social responsibility in textile innovation at the Bocconi
University on May 30, paving the way for partner Livia Firth’s speech the next day.
Posted on May 24, 2012
Source: C.L.A.S.S.
