It was 2013 when the news echoed through Europe: the much-needed, long-awaited ban on selling and marketing cosmetics tested on animals in the EU was finally coming into effect. Animal rights campaigners and conscious beauty lovers everywhere rejoiced. The next year, India followed suit and banned the practice. Australia’s ban came into force last year....
When I was writing my book, Vegan Style, the chapter on vegan home décor brought many questions: is furniture not vegan? What about accessories for the home? Or…scented candles? Everyone’s favourite home accessories, scented candles, are not all made equal. What my readers were unaware of is that some “luxury” candles on the market today...
There was a time when “vegan fashion” was an oxymoron. Catwalks were overflowing with fur and exotic skins, faux leather was shiny, plasticky and cheap, and designers would laugh at the idea of sending collections free from animal-based materials down the catwalks. Fashion Week was a place where dead-animal skins were paraded and showed off,...
As interest for ethical shopping grows, more and more different ways of shopping sustainably emerge. One of the most popular ones is rented clothing, and it’s easy to see why: all of a sudden, access to previously out-of-reach high-end designer clothing becomes a possibility, even if only for a limited amount of time. Through renting...
It cannot be denied that fashion is having a transformation. Fuelled by the global pandemic, both fashion brands and consumers are re-evaluating their priorities. After Gucci moved away from the seasonal approach to fashion, the concept of trends is increasingly being called into question: do we really need trends to guide us as we get...
Fashion usually speaks in terms of trends – but sneakers can hardly be described as one. Far beyond just a passing fad, the sneaker is edging closer to “evergreen classic” status, earning its rightful place in pretty much anyone’s wardrobe. Fashion news site Glossy notes that “the pandemic gave women the green light to wear...
One of the main goals of the growing ethical fashion movement has been to make ethical fashion look like ‘regular’ fashion. Desperate to wash off an “earthy” label, sustainable fashion brands are aware of the fact that they are already sticking out – and when it comes to certain aspects of their brand image, they...
As restrictions begin to ease around the world and the re-opening of nightclubs and re-launching of events beckons in many countries, our makeup routines have had a much-awaited switch-up. Gone are the days of lounging around bare-faced in pyjamas – we’re ready to face the world again, and when we say “face”, we often mean...
As a lifestyle philosophy that goes beyond what’s on our plates, veganism also extends to our wardrobes, our travel plans, our home décor and our beauty routines. The latter have in recent years commonly come to include so-called ‘tweakments’ – injectables such as Botox and fillers being among the first to come to mind. These...
The world is cautiously opening back up: as vaccination programmes are rolled out worldwide, travel looks like it might soon be on the cards again. But as we prepare to take off towards new destinations, all giddy with post-lockdown excitement, let’s take with us the knowledge that, hopefully, the pandemic has imparted upon us. The...
In 2015, sustainably minded outerwear brand Patagonia cut ties with its “ethical” Argentinian wool supplier, Ovis 21, after a ground-breaking investigation into the supplier’s operations showed sheep being mutilated and skinned alive. The event shook the world of fashion – Patagonia was long known as a brand with sustainability and ethics at the forefront of...
“You’re vegan? And you want to work in fashion?” The lady on the other side of the table looks mildly bewildered. Her wool coat, leather shoes, calf-skin bag and what look like fur-lined gloves all seem to be judging me. But I’m not on this job interview because I “want” to work in fashion –...