Getting to know Vanita Badlani of LaBante

By Ellie Peach

A few questions with the founder and CEO of LaBante London, Vanita Badlani. I had the opportunity to interview Vanita about sustainability and the future of LaBante. With exclusive updates, read on to find out more!

• 'What are the differences between a good and bad quality vegan bag?'

'A bad quality vegan bag might be made of PVC. This is plastic-based leather entirely manufactured by environmentally devastating processes using harmful chemicals. These vegan bags will not biodegrade and cannot be recycled. An excellent vegan leather bag might be made from vegetable waste and recycled bottles with a high level of craftsmanship. Equal amounts of attention would be given to the bag's interior as it would the exterior.'

• 'What is 'slow fashion, and Why does LaBante London qualify?'

'Slow fashion relates to how a company designs and releases products and the longevity of their items. Many fast fashion companies release new pieces of clothing weekly to respond to micro trends very quickly (the products will often not last very long ). This results in tonnes of clothing that is only worn a few times before going out of fashion, or they will simply fall apart from poor quality. Slow fashion takes a more neutral route in terms of colour and style. Garments produced this way rarely go out of style and are made to a higher quality so that you won't have to keep buying new pieces every month. 

LaBante qualifies as slow fashion as the materials we use for our products are entirely sustainable. For instance, our handbags are made from vegan leather, which is sturdy and durable.' 

• 'Why is sustainability so important?'

'Sustainability is so important to consider in fashion and everyday life. Everything you do, and in fact everything you buy, should have sustainability in mind because the environment is implicated by each of our choices. The fashion industry itself is currently a massive polluter due to the rise in fast fashion.

As a company, in my opinion, you need to source suitable materials and manufacture them with eco-consciousness in mind. It really does play a pivotal role. This is why we focus on recycling your old items, repairing them, or allowing them to quickly and naturally biodegrade. 

However, sustainability is not only about environmental considerations. It is also just as much about social considerations. Ensuring workers along the entire supply chain are paid and treated fairly and have equal opportunities to work is just as necessary. Ultimately, sustainability is important because a company that prioritises it often respects the environment and people alike.'

• 'What is greenwashing?'

'Greenwashing is often used on social media to divert attention from a company's environmental issues by focussing on another aspect of the company being better for the planet. For instance, if a company claimed to be sustainable but still used sweatshops and environmentally intrusive processes, this would be greenwashing.

Frequently companies spend more time trying to market that they are eco-friendly than actually combatting an issue. The result? Misinformation about the brand's actual priorities. Often this can lead to it being tough to know what real progress is being made for the environment. This can influence you to purchase or support a company that doesn't actually have those sustainable interests at heart. At LaBante, we aim to always be completely transparent with our customers by showing precisely what we do. From the charities we support to our packaging, everything we say we do, we can guarantee we can prove it to you.'

• 'Besides being vegan and a slow fashion company, what other measures are LaBante London doing to help the planet?'

'We try to ensure each step of our production, manufacturing and distribution process will not impact the environment. For example, Our packaging is entirely zero waste. In addition to this, each purchase made at LaBante plants ten trees, making it an utterly carbon-negative investment. We source our materials responsibly to ensure they last, but they can also biodegrade or be recycled. Finally, we are all about treating everyone well, including our workers and supporting animal-related and mental health charities.'

• 'What projects does LaBante have on the horizon?'

'We have some fantastic projects coming up very soon! If you keep up to date with our blog or social media, you might have seen we are releasing a new product line soon. Our new vegan apple leather shoes are now available to preorder from our website in nude, black and white. We also have some exciting plans coming up, so keep yourself updated by checking out our socials and blogs for more updates!'

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