- Dale Arden Chong
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Vegan Fashion Week returned to Los Angeles earlier this October,
focusing on the idea behind its theme, Fashion is Activism.
On Oct. 14 and 15, Vegan Fashion Week invited industry professionals and
fashion enthusiasts were invited to come in and experience this idea
in-person at the California Market Center. There, designers from around the
world came together to share how they continue to disrupt the industry and
push for vegan fashion to become the industry standard. As with the last
rendition of Vegan Fashion Week, the organization hosted a fashion show
featuring designs from Japanese designer Ran Enda and her eponymous label,
Enda.
This season’s Vegan Fashion Week also took an educational approach, with
a series of informative panels as part of its Future of Fashion conference
discussing how industry professionals—including those interested in
starting brands—and fashion lovers can contribute to this movement. Panels
included sessions such as “How to Build a Vegan Brand: Vegan Fashion 101,”
Social Justice, Sustainability, and Animal Rights: Essential Synergy for
the Future of Fashion,” and “Activism Through Social Media: Using your
Platform to Advocate for and Promote Vegan and Ethical Fashion.”
Fall’s Vegan Fashion Week pushed forward the idea of promoting ethical
fashion through education with its Future of Fashion conference and panel
series.
“The relationship between fashion, factory farming, and climate change
cannot be ignored,” Emmanuelle Rienda, the founder of Vegan Fashion Week,
said in a statement. “Vegan sustainable fashion is the ultimate answer to
climate change and waste pollution. I created an inclusive and
collaborative movement dedicated to redesigning the industry and the
consumers’ daily habits.”
“I think [veganism] definitely has been a growing trend,” Enda shared
during the “How to Build a Vegan Brand” panel. “When you see in fast
fashion, for sure it’s a trend. Also in the top-tier brands—they are opting
out of fur. You see different levels of the fashion brands going vegan. But
I feel like it’s independent designers who are going to make the changes
and set the new trend.”
Participating brands, such as Jota Kena—which is led by South African
sisters Tanith and Keziah Swinford— also had the chance to exhibit their
pieces and share their missions. Tanith shared that the brand’s focus is
truly about the people they work with and finding the most sustainable
practices to create its pieces. The brand also takes on a charitable
aspect, donating 10 percent of its profits to charity and non-profit
organizations.
Images: Courtesy of Enda and Dale Arden Chong
