This year LA became the largest US city to place a ban on the selling of furs and host the first Vegan Fashion Week.
With that said, it’s easy to see that there is a group of fashion revolutionaries emerging to uncover the ethical, social, and environmental effects surrounding the use of animals in the industry.
Curated by veteran fashionista Emmanuelle Rienda the Vegan Fashion Week was designed to educate those seeking alternatives to the exploited luxurious aesthetics that they incorporate into their lifestyle daily. For sure this is the future of fashion. Rienda told Harpers Bazar,
“I want to ignite conversations and debates within the industry by educating, elevating and drawing connections between our most important values: our respect for human life, animal rights, and the environment.”
Highlighting this very woke movement in fashion and setting the trends were over 54 vegan companies. Over the course of four days, a different kind of drip was presented to those curious about stepping away from the basic trend of leathers, feathers, and furs.
The NYT caught wind of the Vegan Fashion Week and recalled a piece by Edna which was an Italian “faux shearling made with multilayered acrylic fleece and a machine-washable wool-free tweed.”
Another collection included pieces by Johanna Ohayon Zenou who designed a rack of wedding dresses made from recycled organic cotton and dentelle de Calais French lace. There was even a backpack being shuffled around the room that was made from cork.
Ary Ohayon told the NYT about how he used the material as an alternative for leather, he said,
“It’s made with cork, an amazing material replacing leather. It’s very ethical. The tree is not killed. You just take the skin off the tree.”
More vegan vibes were emitted throughout the room as animal cruelty videos were played and included in the presentation, proving that this is a serious movement people really care about.
This is definitely a trend that can and will probably take over as newer generations are more supportive of fashion brands that are not only cool but are designed for a good cause.
With the buzz from the first Vegan Fashion Week ever hopefully, Rienda can take the experience and educate the world about dope, cruelty-free, and sustainable alternatives to the fashions we wear all the time.
Maybe clothing companies should be required to have an ingredient label stitched into each article or piece from a collection that they release. It’ll help people understand exactly what they are wearing and might even inspire all brands to make a transition to vegan.