Simon Whitehouse
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MILAN — Eco-Age has appointed Simon Whitehouse as its new chief executive officer.
He succeeds Nicola Giuggioli, who cofounded the company with his sister Livia Firth in 2008. With the arrival of Whitehouse, Giuggioli will take on the role of chairman.
Whitehouse was previously CEO of creative agency Art Partner. Prior to that, he held the same role at JW Anderson from 2014 to the end of 2017. He has also worked with labels including Matthew Williamson, Diesel Black Gold and DKNY. At Diesel, he was global sales and brand director of Diesel Black Gold for three years. He was global commercial director of Matthew Williamson for two years.
“I have known Simon for years and always admired him, both personally and in his work,” Firth said. “Eco-Age is a very special company, quite unique, and Simon’s experience but mostly his humanity makes him the best CEO Nicola and I could have ever dreamt of. Our client portfolio is incredibly varied, our events are ambitious and we pride ourselves to always drive forward the sustainability agenda in a fun and engaging way. Simon’s deep understanding of the complexities in every business, of the opportunities we have today with technology and also his charitable work on mental health will really lead the company into a new era and we are all incredibly excited about it.”
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Whitehouse joins Eco-Age as the agency expands its collaborations, and sustainability increasingly becomes a focus in the industry. The company has forged ties with the likes of Diesel, Ugg, Woolmark, the Natural Diamond Council and Candiani.
Eco-Age has also been expanding its digital content. Last year, it staged the first virtual Green Carpet Fashion Awards with Italy’s Camera della Moda.
“Experiencing the fashion industry at the highest level, from many vantage points, both the beauty and the beast of it become clear,” Whitehouse said. “We cannot deny nor ignore the negative impact it has on our planet — plain and simple — and it’s our moral obligation as human beings to urgently reverse this into positivity. Nobody has been more pioneering in this relentless pursuit of good than Livia Firth, Nicola Giuggioli and the incredible team at Eco-Age: the oracle on sustainability. The virtual edition of the Green Carpet Fashion Awards 2020 was testament to that truly visionary spirit, and I feel humbled, honored and invigorated to join Eco-Age for this critical next chapter.”
Set in a sort of fairyland, the fourth edition of the Green Carpet Fashion Awards, which was filmed and broadcast on the evening of Oct. 10, delivered a dose of glitz as it had in the past, with prizes bestowed to the likes of Zendaya and by Colin Firth and Maisie Williams, among others; readings by Cate Blanchett; soundbites by Lewis Hamilton and performances by Celeste and Sonya Yoncheva, who sang arias from “Romeo and Juliet” and “Tosca.” They were all virtually present in the film thanks to virtual reality and holograms, which transformed Milan’s storied La Scala theater, taken over by nature.
