Let Them Be Naked
Directed by Jeff Garner
Screening: Saturday, 9/28 @ 6:00pm | Run Time: 1hr 38 min
Synopsis
Let Them Be Naked is an audacious exploration into the presence of toxic and often harmful chemicals in the fabrics and materials used in our everyday clothing. Since his mother’s death from breast cancer, designer and activist Jeff Garner has spearheaded a campaign to uncover the health implications of exposure to these chemicals and the urgent need for more ethical production of garments. His advocacy has created relationships with research organizations and innovators across the globe, all leading the conversation surrounding unregulated toxins in the fashion industry. By partnering with these passionate revolutionaries, Jeff reimagines the development and production of everyday garments to inspire a new era of conscious and responsible fashion that prioritizes the health and wellbeing of people and the planet.
Director Statement
This film is for everyone….no matter the style, status, or background as we all are connected by wearing clothing everyday all day. There was a reckoning in the food industry, (food, inc) and even the cosmetic industry, but not fashion yet the same chemicals are being used.
After my mother passed too early from her breast cancer, I knew my journey was about to change. I had been speaking against toxicity in our clothing since I began fashion design in 2002. Yet no one was listening….I was ridiculed in my fashion world for cat walking world stages using hemp and plant based dyes grown on my own farm in TN. Apparently, natural was not as good as the synthetic luxury fabrics and my talks, articles and fashion shows were not in the mainstream world as if someone did not want the message to get out. But loosing my mother and my child propelled me to strive forward in the documentary as I realised it was the only platform to hopefully give everyone a chance to know what is truly in their clothing. This film is a global exploration of the fashion industry, textiles, and dyes and the intrepid revolutionary disruptors demanding change, protection, and better options for consumers. My hope for this film is to inspire everyone that it touches to make a shift in their buying choices for their own health and well being and thus bring the industry forward out of the petroleum based toxic world it exists in today. We do not have all the answers, but this film will ignite a global conversation about what is truly hiding in our clothes, affecting our daily health and lead to positive lasting change giving back the power of choice."
Jeff Garner