Welcome to 2019 and welcome to a new event to add to the fashion calendar: Vegan Fashion Week.
It takes place in Los Angeles, which is fitting, given that it’s the biggest city in the United States to ban the use of fur. It has more than 150 vegan-friendly establishments and was named by Peta as America’s most vegan city 2018.
California is also the first state to demand that pet shops sell only rescue animals.
From February 1 to 4, Vegan Fashion Week promises to bring cruelty-free options to the fashion crowd. Set up by animal-rights activists and vegan fashion stylists, the aim is to raise awareness of the ethical, social and environmental issues that surround the fashion industry, as well as offer sustainable alternatives.
The opening night will be held at the Museum of Natural History with a catwalk show of collections by cruelty-free labels.
Leather and fur are still rife within fashion, with customers often blissfully unaware of the cruelty behind both materials. By relying on new technologies or simply by altering supply chains, cruelty-free alternatives are becoming readily available.
The number of vegans is at an all-time high and many are questioning how and where goods are being produced. The full impact fast fashion is having on the planet is becoming obvious too, too, so there is growing pressure on brands to be accountable for every stage of the manufacturing process, and the backlash to the wear-once culture is beginning to gain traction.
The world’s first Vegan Fashion Week looks like it’s here to stay.
