When ethics and sustainability are no longer predictable. first colours is the Sydney brand taking conscious production and consumption seriously. and they aren’t at all concerned with beige and linen and are making clothes (pretty ones) out of plastic bottles.

I sat down for 5 minutes with Em Savage, the revolutionary designer from Sydney who founded, First Colours. A clothing label made entirely out of plastic bottles.

Words and photos  Lizz Pennings

Em, I am so glad we connected. I definitely manifested you and a collaboration with First Colours. What’s your take on connecting with me? It’s been so lovely connecting with you Lizz! We are really passionate about building a like-minded community of people that are invested in sustainable fashion and this connection has been exactly that. Not to mention I love your content!

Why First Colours and then tell me a little about how the journey began. I’ve worked in the fashion industry for a while and I love it and am super passionate about it. In the past few years, I noticed that the sustainability movement was gaining momentum but that it was excluding certain groups because it was too expensive, not size inclusive and a raft of other reasons. Our goal is to make sustainable fashion accessible for everyone - we are a long way off that but I believe we can get there!

On your website, you state that “We care” What does that mean, and why do you feel the need to make such a statement? The ‘We Care’ statement is really important to us because everything we do centres around community and inclusivity. Of course, we are a fashion brand but really we exist to make the world a better place.

Are you excited about the future of sustainability and fashion? Yes! I feel like there is so much opportunity for creativity and new ways of doing things. I think the industry will look very different in the next ten years, in the best way possible. I was in Melbourne for Fashion Festival recently and there are so many amazing young designers who are doing incredible stuff in the sustainable space, which is so inspiring!

I have always believed that - especially ever since having a store based entirely around this subject in particular clothes that are made with love are so much more beautiful to wear and are much more beautiful on. Do you believe the same? Absolutely. Fashion is so much about how clothes make the wearer feel. From a technical perspective, we also go through multiple rounds of sampling to make the pieces the very best they could be and ensure that they fit beautifully which you wouldn’t always get with a fast fashion brand.

Quality over quantity. Can we normalise not wearing a different outfit every single time we get dressed? Is this possible for someone with a fashion brand? 100% - there is so much opportunity to be creative with re-wearing different pieces and styling them in different ways. Our clothes aren’t trend-driven and are designed to be cherished forever. My hope is that our clothes outlast many many seasons and continually bring the wearer joy.

I feel like this is so much more than a clothing brand with great aesthetics for you. What does First Colours really mean to you? For me, First Colours is my creative outlet and a constant source of motivation for me. I look forward to working on the brand every day which is everything I could ever ask for in a project!

When I first laid eyes on First Colour I was so pumped. Here is a brand with a super cool aesthetic, celebrating diversity and making a stand against fast fashion. I also love sunsets and sunrises and your current non-seasonal range reminded me of just that. I was so inspired. What inspires you? That is so sweet of you - thank you. My inspiration comes from a variety of places. For our first collection, I was really inspired by the recycled fabrics that I had just discovered. I always like to physically feel the fabrics I’m working with before designing and I find that when I do that with a new fabric I get new ideas straight away. We are soon releasing a new collection which was very much inspired by a state of mind that I was in at the time of designing it, and I used that collection as a creative outlet to get me through a rough time mentally. I’m always observing colour and movement in nature, and I think that informs the design process subconsciously too.

Was it hard developing an ethical and sustainable brand? At any stage did you feel like giving into more simple but not as conscious means of production? There were definitely challenges - from finding fabric suppliers to manufacturers as well as communicating our message to the world but realistically I think we would have faced those challenges being conscious or not. For us it was never a question - we were going to create a conscious brand or no brand at all!

You are doing great things. I hope you know that. What’s next? We have so much in the pipeline! Fashion is and always will be my number one. We’re already exploring other industries where we can start to make an impact.

Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your story! Where can we find you? Thank you, Lizz! Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @firstcolours or visit us at firstcolours.com.au