- Black Friday Sale
- All Bags
-
Shop
- LB Collections
- Bags
- Bestsellers
- Shoes
- Accessories
- Jewellery
- Mens
- Gifts
- About Us
- Sign in
- United States (USD $)
Best Selling
When you research veganism or take the first steps towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle, the first thing that you are likely to hear about is the food. Avoiding animal products should be easy right? It’s all stated plainly on the packet isn’t it?
Well, not always. Sometimes it takes reading the entirety of an ingredient list only to find a sneaky milk protein in there. Luckily, supermarkets are becoming more aware of the popularity of vegan meals, as so many people are trying to eat this way, at least on a part time basis.
This means that it’s becoming simpler to find the food you want, completely cruelty free.
The same however, can’t be said about our clothes.
After you get what you are eating sorted out, the next logical step is usually what you wear.
And here you don’t always have an ingredients list to read. This is a particular problem with shoes, although more and more brands are emerging that supply 100% vegan shoes.
We’ve created this guide to explain some of the hidden ingredients that aren’t vegan in some of the highstreet brands, and to highlight some brands that offer a cruelty-free alternative.
Vegan shoes and boots are footwear made without the use of any animal products. This includes leather, suede, wool, silk or fur. All of these materials have been sourced through cruelty to animals, and so we don’t believe that they should be used in any product.
A quick way to see if your favorite brand is made from one of these products is by looking at the label on the underside of the shoes.
However, even if the symbol there reads ‘textile’ it is still impossible to say that the shoe is 100% vegan without a label specifically telling you so, or a good dash of internet research.
Traditionally, shoe glue has been made from the collagen of animals, making it a product that isn’t vegan friendly.
While synthetic glues are generally more popular now as they are both cheaper to make and can be stronger, some shoes still use animal-based ones, and it’s impossible to tell which unless it is specifically labelled. This makes shopping for vegan shoes a bit of a pain.
Yet there are loads of vegan shoes brands out there, and some of the big brands also have vegan collections in order to cater to this market.
When there are so many animal materials that shoes are made of, then what are vegan shoes made of? This question comes with a range of answers. Some simple, and some innovative.
Polyurethane is a faux leather made from high quality plastics and is commonly used for the uppers and soles of shoes in different forms.
Some argue that the production of PU is harmful to the environment, however the tanning of leather uses harsh chemicals and masses of water, as well as being from a dead animal, so in this case PU definitely comes out on top.
Vegan brands are continually looking for more environmentally friendly ways to create their products, so I’m sure that waterproof vegan shoes will soon be on the market that don’t contain PU.
Cotton is a soft and breathable material that makes great vegan shoes for summer. Organic cotton is a wonderful renewable resource.
Due to its comfort, it is a popular material for vegan shoes for women, and in vegan shoes for work wear. It is difficult to waterproof however, which can be a downside.
Natural rubber comes from the rubber tree and is commonly used in vegan shoes for men as the soles of the shoes. It is very environmentally friendly and can be recycled.
This means that some vegan shoe brands go that step further and only use recycled rubber for their soles. It is a great, versatile material that is long-lasting and 100% cruelty-free!
Cork has become a fashionable material for vegan shoes, as it is organic and natural. It has a lot of attractive benefits for its use, including being lightweight as well as fire-resistant.
It is a popular choice for vegan wedges and vegan sandals as it is breathable and has anti-bacterial properties. It gives a shoe that all-natural look that people love.
Here at LaBante, ethically made, vegan clothing is really important to us, which is why all of our own handbags are 100% vegan and cruelty-free. We try to use recycled materials as much as possible, as well as the faux leather that gives our products that luxurious look.
As a brand that only deals in vegan items, we wanted to show you our favorite vegan shoe brands as well. All of the brands here are fully vegan, so you know that you are safe purchasing any product from them.
We are a little bit obsessed with the shoes at Bhava. Not only for their range (which is absolutely incredible) but for their dedication in changing the way that people think about shoes. They are all about comfort, but this doesn’t mean ditching the heels.
For Bhava, this means heels that you can walk all day in. Looking for vegan shoes with arch support may seem like a big ask, but not for this US owned company.
Not only are they 100% vegan, they are also ethically produced, ensuring that their workers are fairly paid and manufacturing under good conditions. Being vegan means being against cruelty to all animals, including humans, after all.
We particularly love their strappy sandals, which are perfect for summer and have an elegant look that means they are a great vegan shoe for work.
Rafa is a must for anyone looking vegan shoes made in the US. Based in Los Angeles, their ‘suede’ shoes really do look like leather.
They are so similar that if it wasn’t for the fact that they advertise as 100% vegan, we’d have a hard time believing it ourselves. It’s actually made of a material that is 80% recycled plastic bottles.
These shoes are definitely on the more expensive side; however, their made-to-order option is amazing, providing you with exactly the shoe that you want, without having to worry if it’s in stock.
There are committed to making all of their products within LA, which is something that’s really rare for any manufacturer. They also use reclaimed wood in the heels of their shoes to be as sustainable as possible.
Keep make vegan shoes and trainers with nature at their heart. Supremely comfortable, they love using a herringbone pattern, so that even their shoes without bright colors express themselves.
They are also surprisingly affordable, and it’s really hard to pick one favorite out of their range. As they are designed for both comfort and style, they are more likely to be suitable vegan shoes for wide feet.
Keep also want their shoes to be long-lasting. Something that you keep for years, and not something that is thrown away as soon as you’ve had them a few months.
Alongside this, none of their shoes are made in large batches, to prevent any waste. So, if you see a shoe of theirs you like, you’ll need to pick it up fast.
Some of the big-name brands have seen the demand for vegan shoes and launched their own vegan collections alongside their regular offerings.
Other brands are ‘accidentally vegan’. Accidentally or not, it’s good news to us!
Many of Nike’s shoes are in fact completely vegan friendly, as they have banished the animal-based glues. This means that once you have checked the label for other animal materials, you can be sure to know what you’re buying. That’s definitely a tick from us.
Many of Vans' canvas shoes are vegan, which is good news for high-tops lovers everywhere! This is another brand that has opted for a vegan shoe glue, so if you’re one of those people who wore exclusively Vans for the entirety of your teenage years, then there’s no need to give them up now.
TOMS has a vegan section on its website, so we don’t really need to say any more! From men’s classic shoes, to women’s wedges and pumps, the brand has diversified into cruelty-free footwear that is classic and fashionable.
Adidas’ classic Stan Smith has had a vegan upgrade for quite a while now. Designed by Stella McCartney, she suggested the collaboration after considering how many animals lives would be saved if the trainer manufacturer switched to vegan leather. Her 2019 creation even features 4D technology.
So, there you have it, LaBante London’s guide to everything vegan shoe related.
There are a lot more options out there that you may think at first, and while it’s always important to double check, there really isn’t any reason that we can’t avoid cruelty to animals in everything that we buy!
Mother’s Day is fast approaching, that time of year where everyone celebrates the support of the women in their life.
Before you all rush off to buy a gift (it’s on May 12th, by the way!) we wanted to take a look at the origins of this date, how it is celebrated in the rest of the world, and of course, the best presents to buy for our moms.
Modern Mother’s Day in the USA can be traced back to a number of different sources. Two people, in particular, are thought to have been the originators of the day that we now celebrate. These are Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis.
One other source tells us about the sons of Juliet Calhoun Blakeley, who in the 1800s paid tribute to her on the same day every year and tried to get others to do likewise.
In 1870, Julia Ward Howe sent out a call for a day dedicated to mothers to be celebrated every year. This was a scheme to encourage non-violence among women. It was held for ten years in Boston under her support.
In 1907, Anna Jarvis held a private Mother's Day celebration in West Virginia, in honor of the memory of her mother. Anna Jarvis was determined that Mother’s Day should be more widely recognized, and so went in search of support, which she eventually found in the shape of a wealthy clothing merchant.
In 1908, she arranged a special Mother’s Day service in the Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which was attended by 407 children and their mothers. This launched the cause of Mother’s Day into the public eye where it quickly gained further support
By 1912 many states, towns and churches celebrated Mother’s Day as a holiday. The Mother’s Day International Association was created by Anna to help support and promote her dream of it being officially recognized. Her campaigning was eventually successful and in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially naming the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
Now, Mother's Day has become the Sunday that we all know and love, a day that focuses on recognizing mothers' roles. Mother’s Day has also been a traditional date for launching causes which support women. For example, in 1969 Coretta Scott King used Mother’s Day to march in support of underprivileged women and children.
Of course, Mother’s Day is also very good for a lot of businesses, and for many it is the busiest day of the year, overtaking even Christmas. That’s because we love to treat our moms - and what better way to do that than with a gift?
It has been traditional to give gifts on Mother’s Day from its inception in the US. These range from the more traditional fare to modern ideas like spa breaks and bottomless brunches. It’s safe to say that we love to see our mothers smile, and the best way to do that, is with a gift to show her just how much she is appreciated.
Carnations are the traditional flower to give on Mother’s Day because they were Anna Jarvis mother’s favorite flower. She gave 500 of them away at the first ever Mother’s Day, and the tradition has continued in many places, particularly in religious centers. Now, carnations are still very much a part of any bouquet you may buy for Mother’s Day, but other flowers are found alongside them, due to the strange notion that carnations are a ‘cheaper’ flower.
For this reason, and because we are always swayed by what the high street says we should buy, flowers such as roses are very popular, as are orchid plants.
Everyone loves a greeting card, and Mother’s Day is Hallmarks third biggest sales day of the year. Is it perhaps because we all assume that our moms are sentimental and will love a soppy card? Whatever the reason, they still sell, and we keep buying them. There is something about a card that’s just special isn’t there?
Right from the start, greetings cards were a popular gift for Mother’s Day. So much so in fact, that in the 1920s commercialization of the day prompted Anna Jarvis, the person who created it, to call for its abolition. She didn’t like the fact that people were buying cards instead of writing long, heartfelt letters home!
Gifts for Mother’s Day are still quite traditional with the holiday bringing in a significant portion of the US jewelry industry’s annual revenue.
From necklaces to bracelets, giving jewelry to your mother symbolizes that they are the most important woman in your life and that you’ve taken the care to pick out something that they’d really like, and that they would probably have never bought for themselves.
There are some jewelers that we really love, including our special moissanite diamond jewelry that comes gift boxed in white vegan leather jewelry boxes.
For a more personal gift that your mother can use every day instead of just on a special occasion, a handbag is a great option. Not only does it show that you know their style (and didn’t just pick something from the Mother’s Day range at the jewelers) it is also something that they will get actual use out of, instead of being solely decorative.
At LaBante, we have a handbag for every type of person in your life. From super cute cross body bags to stunning totes, they are designed to be used as well as looking fabulous. Any mom one would love to get one of these as a gift on Mother’s Day.
The great thing about handbags from LaBante is that they are made in a sustainable way, using recycled plastic bottles to create a silky-smooth lining and use only premium vegan leather. So you’re not only getting your mom a gift, but one for the planet as well.
Mother’s Day is celebrated on different dates all over the world, and these all have different traditions associated with it. While the Second Sunday in May remains the most common date, with counties adopting the idea from America, some countries have much older traditions, while some have come up with their own dates from much more modern sources.
In the UK and Ireland, Mother’s Day is only slightly different. Traditionally celebrated on the fourth Sunday in lent, which means it changes every year, the roots of this holiday can be traced back to the 16th century. It was created by the Catholic Church as a way to celebrate mothers and the ‘Mother Church’.
Originally, it was the one day of the year when Christians were expected to return to their mother church. In the UK it’s still known by the name of Mothering Sunday, although the more modern name of Mother’s Day is seen on greetings cards and advertisements.
It has followed in America's footsteps when it comes to commercialization. It is now common to send flowers and buy gifts for your mother. Before, it was a Sunday where families all got together to spend time with each other and go to church.
When American Mother’s Day was established, Anna was adamant that it was not the same as the UK’s Mothering Sunday and didn’t have a religious connection. Now, however, only really the dates are different.
Mexicans love their mothers, and the 10th of May is the day that they show it. And they show it as much as possible!
For restaurants in Mexico, Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year, without exception. Whether it’s on a Saturday or a Wednesday, the 10th of May is the day when you take your mom out and show her a good time. There’s even a special song that the mariachi sings especially for Mother’s Day.
In Thailand Mother’s Day is always celebrated in August on the birthday of the previous queen, Sirikit. It is a massive holiday there and everyone takes it very seriously. Father’s Day is celebrated on the last king’s birthday. There is now a new King and Queen in Thailand, but the holiday is unlikely to move dates.
Ethiopia takes a much more relaxed approach. Instead of one day, they have three at some point in the fall! Families gather together from all over to sing songs and eat a large feast as part of Antrosht, the celebration honoring motherhood.
Mother’s Day, no matter where you live, is a day to think about the wonderful women in your life, and how much they mean to us.
Whether they gave birth to us or not, special women come in many different forms, and it’s great that we have a day to commemorate them and show that we are grateful for everything that they have done for us.
Here at LaBante, we care about the environment and about animal welfare. That is why all of our products are 100% vegan. We strive to use materials that are eco-friendly; from using recycled bottles as the lining of our handbags, to creating faux leather out of vegetable waste. We believe that fashion shouldn’t harm the world around us or have a negative impact on the people that we employ,
The state of the earth and the wildlife within it is in crisis, and every day we are hearing more and more about the impact that human practices are having on our wild places, and the damage that we are causing to the environment. Luckily, there is hope thanks to the work of some truly outstanding charities. We’ve selected a few of our favourites to share with you.
The Jane Goodall Institute emphasises the strength of the individual. They believe that every single one of us has the power to do their bit to help the environment.
She focuses on local people taking charge of projects in their local area, encouraging people to do good within that community. This has had great success in parts of Africa, with the locals championing conservation efforts and helping to protect the chimpanzees that they share their home with.
Jane has done extensive research into the habitat and behaviours of chimpanzees, discovering things about these wonderful creatures that was before unknown to science. Through this work, she has uncovered just how complex the lives of one of our closest relatives really is, and how like us they can be at times. She is dedicated to saving their habitat and rebuilding their decreasing numbers, starting with education.
This includes giving talks around the world about the wonderful social behaviours she has seen in chimpanzees, as well as the damage we have done to their home. Poachers are still a big danger to these caring animals, with babies taken from their dead mothers to be sold on as pets. Through education, Jane hopes to put an end to this practice.
Roots & Shoots is another of Jane Goodall’s charities, and it furthers the focus of local people caring for local problems. It is an education program for young people of all ages and from around the globe.
Roots & Shoots has now been brought to the UK and is active in over 1,600 schools. These groups provide environmental education for young people, with projects that help the local community and wildlife. It is focused on fun and learning, teaching children about the world around them.
While the programme shows kids how they can be helpful in their communities, it also teaches about the global picture. Through international campaigns, the children of Roots & Shoots can get involved in saving the world.
Funded solely through donations, this environmental charity not only educates our young people about nature and climate change, it makes getting out of doors fun at the same time. This program is showing kids how they can be the activists in the future, that it shouldn’t be something strange, but something automatic. It teaches them that caring for our planet is everyone’s responsibility, and it is something that we should be doing all the time.
No Sweat is a UK humanitarian charity whose work is important for everyone involved in the fashion industry. They research and campaign against the use, and the existence of sweatshops making the goods we find on our high street. They protest against child labour, forced overtime, and harassment of women workers. No Sweat stands for:
A Living Wage. No worker should have to work all the hours in the day just to buy food for their family. That’s why No Sweat firmly believes in a fair wage for everyone, meaning that hours can stay reasonable.
Safe Working Conditions. After the Rana Plaza disaster, safe working conditions have become more prominent in everyone’s minds. No one should go to work wondering if today is the day that they have an accident. This includes ending forced overtime, where an accident is so much more likely to happen.
Independent Trade Unions. If something is wrong at work, a trade union gives workers the voice that they so desperately need. It should be everyone’s right to have the option of joining a union if they want to, and so many countries don’t allow this.
PETA is an animal welfare charity which was founded in March 1980 by Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco. PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
It was one of the first charities of its kind and works tirelessly for animal rights. It first rose to fame in 1981 during the Silver Springs macaque case. Alex Pacheco infiltrated the research laboratory and took pictures of the moneys in terrible conditions. These photos were then passed on to the police and resulted in the first police raid on an animal laboratory in the US. This campaign even lead to an amendment to the United States Animal Welfare Act.
Today, PETA is an international movement completely dedicated to animal rights. They have previously mounted protests against the fur trade and wearing fur at fashion shows, cosmetic testing on animals, and hunting.
The charity has always caused controversy, with some disagreeing with the shock tactics that it uses. However, it has undeniably worked. PETA has brought to our attention animal abuse issues that would have continued to be swept under the rug for as long as possible. They only want to ensure that people know the truth, so that cruelty to animals can be eradicated.
Greenpeace is an environmental charity that is dedicated to stopping climate change and protecting our endangered species. Greenpeace’s aim is to care for the planet that we live in, and for humans to take a look at the destruction that they are causing and do more to prevent it.
Greenpeace focuses on three major environmental campaigns:
Climate Change. At Greenpeace, climate change is something that can be fought. It firmly believes that climate change doesn’t have to happen, and that by working together we can still reverse its effects on our world.
Our Oceans. Greenpeace works tirelessly to defend our oceans, protesting the overfishing that is destroying our marine biodiversity. It also highlights the devastating effects of plastic pollution in our waterways, campaigning to stop single-use plastic being used in so many of our shops.
Forests. Greenpeace knows that we have been cutting down the rainforest at an alarming rate – and it shows no signs of stopping. All of our forested areas are under threat, and this not only increases climate change, it also ruins the fragile biodiversity of these areas, causing many of our precious species to become critically endangered.
WildAid believes that when the buying stops, the killing will stop too. That is why this animal welfare charity works tirelessly to educate and put an end to the killing of animals for their body parts.
WildAid wants to dramatically reduce the use and consumption of wildlife products including shark finning and ivory poaching. The aim to increase support for conservation on a local level, educating people about the damage that wanton killing of our animals is having on the environment.
Through public as well as political will for further anti-poaching efforts, WildAid wants to not only protect our endangered species, but to reduce the impact that poaching, medicinal practices, and overfishing is having on our climate.
WildAid also campaigns for the public to reduce the amount of meat that they eat. Large farms are part of the reason that climate change is so bad, and that swaths of forest are being destroyed. Using films and other media outlets, WildAid shows that if everyone just made a reduction in the amount of meat that they ate, then production would also have to go down, so helping our planet to recover.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or RSPCA as it’s more commonly known, is the oldest and largest animal welfare organisation in the world, founded in 1824.
It is one of the largest charities in the UK, serving England and Wales but also with groups that took inspiration from the RSPCA in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia to name but a few.
The RSPCA is well known in the UK due to its use of Inspectors, which it has used since its inauguration. These Inspectors respond to calls and reports of animals being mistreated or neglected and they have the power to remove an animal into the care of the RSPCA if they believe it needs to be removed. Primarily however, it wishes to educate people on how to look after animals so that this neglect doesn’t occur.
The RSPCA even has its own animal hospitals, where they take in and care for thousands of animals each year. This includes not only animals that are traditionally kept as pets, but wildlife as well. It runs a successful rehabilitation program for these animals in order to release as many as possible back into the wild.
LaBante London would like to say thank you to these vital charities, who are working so hard to protect our planet and the people and animals living on it.
Sustainable and vegan clothing companies are becoming more and more in demand. Consumers no longer want apparel that exploits animals, or promotes sweatshop working conditions.
The desire for fast fashion is changing, and now companies are becoming more focused on the environment, and how their manufacturing processes can affect it.
These days, there are a huge number of vegan clothing companies to choose from, bringing you sustainable, fashionable clothing.
LaBante London has selected 10 of the best sustainable vegan clothing companies for you to look at. From shoes and bags, sweatshirts to cocktail dresses, these vegan fashion designers have it all.
People Tree’s big draw is that it promotes traditional ways of making clothes. Supporting hand weaving, hand kitting, and hand embroidery means that they can create much-needed jobs in rural communities.
Alongside this, their clothes are hand dyed with low impact dyes, ensuring that not only are they creating much-needed jobs but they're also protecting the environment as well. People Tree is a UK company, but they have stockists all over the world, including the USA, where they sell in a number of vegan clothing stores.
People Tree is dedicated to fair trade and being completely transparent from start to finish, so you can know exactly where your product comes from, and how it’s made.
Olsenhaus is the brainchild of Elizabeth Olsen and was founded in New York City in 2008. Elizabeth has set out to change our perceptions on what it is to be vegan and to wear vegan leather.
Her shoes don’t sacrifice style and have been worn by celebrities such as Anne Hathaway and Cameron Diaz. One of the top vegan fashion designers in America, many Olsenhaus shoes have a bright pop of color, and the synthetic material looks and feels luxurious.
These shoes are made to withstand hardcore partying; made to be strong and to be worn again and again.
Olsenhaus is at the forefront of vegan leather and cruelty free clothing production, continually looking for new and improved materials for all of their products. Recently they have taken the industrial waste from a television factory in Japan and up-cycled it to make an ultra-suede.
Minimizing waste is a key part of the material that they produce, and Elizabeth continues to advocate against the use of animal leather and the harmful chemicals that processing it produces.
For John Bartlett, it’s all about the dogs. His stylish range of t-shirts and hoodies all feature a print of his three-legged rescue dog, ‘Tiny Tim’ and he even has his own rescue foundation called ‘The Tiny Tim Rescue Fund’.
John produced the first 100% vegan luxe menswear collection at New York Fashion Week in 2012. He has long been a champion for animal rights and welfare and this is reflected in the clothes that he produces in partnership with Bon-Ton Stores.
In addition to his fashion designing, John is a podcast host for Dogs Save The People, which airs a new episode every week and focuses on – you guessed it – how dogs make our lives better.
Miakoda want to create change through the way we dress. They want us to re-evaluate the way that we shop, consume, and the way that we treat our planet.
Their website lays out everything that they do in glorious detail, so that the entire process of making their garments is 100% transparent.
The great thing about their clothes is that they look normal – like any fast fashion that you would buy on the high street. The difference is, that their slouchy pants are sustainable, as well as being long-lasting. Unlike fast fashion, you won’t need to throw them out after three months.
Not only do they go into detail about the vegan fabrics that they use and why they use them, they also have a step-by-step guide to all of their packaging material. From biodegradable packing tape to recycled paper, they are committed to being zero waste.
This is even extended to the scraps form the factory floor. Miakoda collect everything, and these scraps are then repurposed to form their Zero Waste Collection.
Groceries Apparel make all of their clothes in California. Even within the sustainable clothing world, home grown manufacturing is rare.
What is great about this company is that this makes it super easy for them to track the garments that they produce, ‘from Seed to Skin’, as they say.
Focused on using organic cotton and recycled plastic in many of their items, Groceries Apparel also has a vegetable dye collection, where they experiment with the best way to use non-toxic dyes to achieve the best looks.
Their cruelty free fashion ranges from comfy crop-tops to stylish dresses and their clothes are also affordable – which may come as a surprise to some. They have also expanded into men’s apparel and aim to bring sustainable clothing options to everyone.
Bhava shoes are designed to last. Each design has had a test run around the streets of New York to ensure that not only are they comfortable to wear all day and aren’t going to cause any sprained ankles, but that they will also withstand the everyday wear and tear of a busy city life.
Brava shoes are 100% vegan and some of the most stylish out there. The ultra suede that they use is easy to keep clean and care for, and you can purchase shoes in every style and colour imaginable.
Bhava care about your feet, and so keep their heels at no more than three inches in height. They also use shock absorbent cork insoles in their heeled boots, so that you will have long lasting comfort.
As the name suggests, Alternative Apparel suggest an alternative option to the fashion that we typically see on the high street. It has a full range of different apparel and caters for both men and women.
Alternative Apparel uses only eco-friendly and sustainable fabrics and is of course 100% vegan. Best known for their super-soft organic t-shirts and hoodies in a full range of colours, Alternative Apparel differs from other cruelty free clothing companies due to the sheer range of product that it has on offer.
Committed to low-impact dyes and waste free packaging, this is a company that shows us just how far we can take sustainable clothing. They prove that we are able to buy the type of clothes that we want while still being eco-friendly, and that we don’t have to make any fashion sacrifices to do so.
Delikate Rayne is all about premium, luxurious textiles that are 100% cruelty free. With a minimalist style, DR is pushing the boundaries of what style means to us. It is one of those vegan clothing brands that when you see it, you simply won’t be able to think about anything else.
Delikate Rayne wants everyone to discard fast fashion and look to more sustainable practices for the future of our planet. While the items might be on the pricier side, their quality is undeniable. There is a rebellious side to this vegan designer but this only enhances their luxury aesthetic.
We particularly like their range of faux leather miniskirts (that are all PVC free). All of DR’s manufacturing is done by a family run company who are paid a fair and living wage.
Keep Seeing, Keep Making, Keep Dreaming. This is the tagline for shoe and apparel company Keep. Founded in 2006, their original idea was to make cruelty free footwear that was long-lasting, and not made in the bulk that you see in other stores.
Their shoes are both classy and classic in style and are designed to be worn every day. All of the factories that manufacture Keep shoes are audited by a third-party non-profit to ensure that the working conditions are the absolute best that they can be.
With a range of hand-dyed t-shirts and jackets also available, this is one of the vegan fashion brands that you should definitely keep an eye on for the future.
Here at LaBante London, we pride ourselves on producing sustainable, 100% vegan products. The interior of our handbags is made from recycled polyester – using 25 plastic bottles which are turned into pellets and then spun into fabric.
The exterior of our bags is made from high quality faux leather that is both eco-friendly and fashionable. Our workers are primarily women and they are all paid a fair wage and given maternity leave should they choose to have children.
In addition to this, we also have a zero waste policy on all of our packaging, with even our dust bags being made from recycled material. It also helps that our range of bags and wallets look and feel luxurious, proving that sustainability can still have style!
What inspired you to go vegan?
Oh, I actually have a whole article about it in my blog, called “Why I’m Vegan, And Why You Should Be, Too”.
I went vegan 6 years ago, after watching the documentary “Earthlings” - a life-changing, shocking, hard and sad experience, but I told myself that I just have to watch it if I do support those industries. With so much pain and tears - I became vegan that day - because I love animals and think they deserve to live happily and peacefully on this planet, just like we do.
What made you start blogging?
In the past, I was a social activist for animal rights for two years and gave my heart and soul into activism. I did everything: demonstrations, marches, exhibitions, even opened a farm sanctuary with my friends, but after two years, I felt like it was too much for me mentally and decided to stop, for my own good.
After a year, I felt the urge to still do something and decided to open my blog: this way, I combine what I love, which is fashion and writing, with my love for animals, my ethics and beliefs. Style with a Smile is all about positive activism: I do address the problems, but I focus on the solutions and show that there is an alternative to basically everything, no matter what it is.
This way, with a positive approach and without graphic content - more people are open to listen and to learn.
What would be your main advice to someone trying to go vegan?
Be proud of yourself for the decision to stop supporting cruelty. You are making such a huge step towards a better life for the animals, for the planet and for yourself.
This journey might not be easy for some people, but I promise you it is so worth it! I highly recommend you to do your research, join vegan groups on Facebook who are filled with people like yourself who’d love to help you out and even join Challenge 22+! You can also check my blog for further information regarding vegan fashion.
Is sustainability an important part of your profile?
It definitely is! I’m not even close to being the perfect most sustainable person, but I am trying my best to be better, choose better and live more consciously every day!
I made huge changes in my life already, including a very long “no-buy” since May of 2018 (apart from one pair of thrifted pants!) and I always encourage others to live more consciously too. I also work for a sustainable magazine called Eluxe.
This year you collaborated with LaBante London, can you tell us more about that?
Yes! Working with LaBante has been a wonderful experience. I got to really learn and educate myself further about this lovely brand in order to create a very informative article - I’m happy to say I discovered an amazing brand with wonderful cruelty-free products and our ethics tie perfectly together.
What is your pet peeve?
Hmm.. hard question! I would say my pet peeve is when people are taking things or actions for granted, injustice and dishonesty. Oh, and when people are not on time! lol
What do you love doing in your spare time when you are not working or posting on Instagram?
I wish I had more of that time! Haha! I love going out to a long walk in nature or strolling around the city, meeting with friends and family, reading (and daydreaming) about beautiful places around the world and listening to good music, too.
What is the most terrifying thing you have ever had to do?
I had a friend with suicidal thoughts and had to help her and convince her not to commit suicide while she was really going to do that - over the phone. She lives far away so I couldn’t really be there for her physically - it was such a nightmare, it was really terrifying, sad and stressful. The friend is alright now, though :)
If you were to choose your top three bags from LaBante which one would those be?
The Gwen and Kensington bags, which I do own and absolutely adore and the Aricia bag :)
What are your plans for the future? Are you planning to do more videos or is there anything specific you are working on for 2019?
My plans are to keep doing what I love to do, to improve Style with a Smile even more and grow my community: I hope that people who read my blog would get inspiration from the content I create and find it helpful and valuable!
I'd also like to create even more content about ethical, fair, vegan fashion and travel, and educate myself further around these subjects. Additionally, I would also like to maybe open a YouTube channel, but we will see about that :)
The Vegan Society describes veganism as “a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”
Most people will be familiar with the vegan diet, which has gone from strength the strength in recent years. This is due not only to the rise in veganism, but consumers' desire for more vegetables in their diet and healthier eating in general. The vegan diet is also known as a plant-based diet and avoids all foods which have an animal at its source, including meat, eggs and dairy.
Another aspect of veganism includes the clothes that you wear. Vegan fashion means that any clothes made of animal leather, fur, or wool aren’t worn.
More than this, many vegans look into how ethically produced their garments are, as animals can be treated cruelly to harvest the materials that our clothes are made from, even when the material itself is free of animal products. Ethical vegan clothing is more than just a fashion statement, it’s a way of living.
Clothes have been made from animal hides and fur for centuries, so what’s wrong with continuing with it? Many of these materials, such as wool, don’t even kill the animal, so where is the harm?
Well, just like egg production and milking doesn’t kill the animal, it still means that they have to endure a life full of misery and cruelty, exploited in ways that we would never subject a human being to. The same goes for wool and down. These animals inevitably live horrible lives because of people’s need to have the latest fashions – no matter how cruel that may be.
Leather is the material that is most clearly non-vegan – it is made from the skin of dead animals, after all. Yet many argue that it is a by-product of the meat industry, and that it’s just going to waste if the hide isn’t made into leather. However, this simply isn’t the case. Young animals are used to produce premium leather, and while some are killed for lamb or veal, in many cases they are killed solely for their hides. The production of leather is also a process which is full of dangerous dyes and chemicals, so is damaging to the environment as well.
Ever heard of a silk worm? Yes, they are a real thing. Silk isn’t made from a plant like cotton is, but from the caterpillars of the silk moth. It is the thread that they produce to make their cocoons. These caterpillars are usually killed while they are still inside, so that the silk isn’t damaged before being harvested.
There are many different types of wool, not just the sheep wool that you might automatically think of. Cashmere and mohair come from goats, whilst angora comes from rabbits. In the case of mohair, goats suffer from the removal of this fleece, having to withstand cold temperatures and making them more susceptible to parasites.
Cashmere goats have it even worse. They are shorn very early to acquire this premium wool and are then sold for meat, as only the first wool produced is considered cashmere. Angora rabbits are kept in wire cages their whole lives and are roughly shorn regularly for their soft wool.
You might think that sheep have it slightly better, but the thick coats that they grow are due to selective breeding, and it isn’t natural for a sheep to have so much wool. Treated roughly their whole lives, they, like all the other wool animals, are killed as soon as their wool lacks quality.
The cruelty of the fur industry has been well documented. All types of animals are kept in cages for their fur including lynxes and chinchillas. These animals are then killed in whatever way won’t damage their pelt - horrifically, sometimes they are even skinned alive. It is an impossibly cruel life to live just for the trim on a coat.
Recent beauty trends have also encouraged the fur industry. Many fake eyelashes are made from mink fur due to their fluffy texture. While the mink isn’t killed in these cases, their quality of life is no better.
Down is the soft feathers of ducks or geese. While many dream of being able to fall asleep on a feather pillow, the truth of the matter is that these feathers come from dead birds that have been bred for their down, or plucked from live animals which leaves them exposed and stressed.
There are a number of different alternatives to clothes made from animal products.
Materials such as hemp, organic cotton, linen and bamboo are all viable alternatives that are sustainable as well as vegan. There are many substitutes for leather currently available on the market, and fake leather, while traditionally not the most sustainable of materials, has garnered a lot of attention in recent years. Now, more ethically produced alternatives are being made, including leather made from vegetable waste and recycled plastic bottles.
While it can be hard to find sustainable alternatives to some of the other animal products such as wool, fur and down, they are out there. The reason that this can be such an issue is because so many of the alternatives involve polyester – and we don’t want there to be more plastic in our wardrobes. Alternatives are out there however, with seedpod fibres now commonly used as a faux-silk.
There are more and more vegan clothing stores popping up all over the country where you know that you are buying an ethical vegan clothing option. If you’re still unsure, or some of the fur and wool alternatives are too expensive for your budget, avoid them entirely and opt for a slow fashion option that is both cruelty free and long-lasting. Linen and cotton are wonderfully versatile materials, and many jeans can now be found without a leather back patch.
Unfortunately, even the most innocuous looking piece of clothing can be made from animal products.
Without close attention to the label, it can be easy to be caught out. One of the items that can be most difficult to buy is vegan shoes. Fashion favourite Uggs is definably a no-go, as they are made from sheep skin. Thankfully, vegan Uggs exist, such as those made by Neuaura. A lot of shoes that you may think are vegan have leather insoles, or may be lined in a type of leather, making finding vegan shoes a bit of a minefield.
Items such as clothing labels catch many unwary shoppers out. For some reason, brands continue to add leather patches with a brand label onto all sorts of clothing, including many jeans. Buttons are also commonly made from shell or bone in premium brands, and it’s really hard to tell if this is the case without a detailed look at the label or emailing the company directly.
Linings are another part of clothing that vegans need to be extra careful of. A lot of linings are made from silk, even faux-leather jackets. As well as this, the toggles on backpacks or jackets can be made from horn instead of plastic, which is just another item then makes shopping as a vegan even more difficult.
LaBante London recently had the privilege of chatting to Christen Gerhart. Christen is a TV host, magician and vegan who in 2015 launched A Harmless Project to promote cruelty-free, chic fashion. Read on to find out more!
What inspired you to go vegan?
At first it was health; I got really sick about seven years ago and nothing was helping. I was facing some pretty dire consequences and invasive options for a cure but I didn’t want to have to resort to those. So, I cleaned up my diet by going vegan and eliminating processed foods.
Over the following two years, I healed completely and I’ve never looked back since! veganizing my diet very quickly lead to veganizing my entire life from my wardrobe to my personal care items and everything in between.
How do you like to relax, when not working on something?
I love to garden! I grow peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, avocados, lemons, and loads more. I love having a relationship with nature and I find it both relaxing and deeply satisfying.
What would be your main advice to someone trying to go vegan?
Don’t get overwhelmed! I found it easiest to start by finding vegan substitutes for the foods I loved instead of just cutting out the things I liked to eat. I think it’s easier to stick to a diet when you enjoy the foods you’re eating instead of trying to ignore your cravings. Vegan options are everywhere and they’re delicious!
Over the years, your tastes change but it can be a very gradual process, don’t judge yourself when starting a new diet. Go slow, do research, and start out by making healthier, vegan versions of what you already eat. Then, as time progresses, your tastes will change, your knowledge base will grow, and you’ll find your rhythm with veganism to branch out.
Is sustainability an important part of your profile?
Absolutely, for me, sustainability and veganism go hand in hand. When I started out as a vegan I became more aware of the impact we have on the planet and the cleaner vegan lifestyle inspired me to clean up the rest of my practices as well. It can be a struggle but I think the most important thing to remember is that every little bit helps.
One of the worst mistakes we can make is to think that because we’re only one person, our extreme efforts of recycling or sustainability won’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Please don’t adopt that mentality! I think change inspires change and the more effort we put into sustainability, the more contagious it becomes!
What are the new fun things you are working on, in your career as an actress?
I’ve got a few irons in the fire with respect to magic and acting.
What is your pet peeve?
I can’t stand when I see people litter or spit on the ground. Please clean up after yourself, and respect the planet and the people around you!
What do you love doing in your spare time when you are not working or posting on Instagram?
If I’m not in my garden, I’m either at the beach reading a book or in the mountains hiking.
What is the most terrifying thing you have ever had to do?
Going back to school to earn my second degree. Working full time and going to school full time is incredibly taxing but so worthwhile!
If you were to choose your top three bags from LaBante which one would those be?
Don’t make me choose! I guess if I have to…
- Dawson
- Mae
But I love them all!
What are your plans for the future? Are you planning to do more videos or is there anything specific you are working on for 2019?
I’m actually conducing lots of scientific research at the moment and hoping to have a few publications out by 2020. Videos are on hold for the moment as I progress through the academic jungle toward my career goals in science. I’ll be back with them soon but I’ll still have blog posts in the mean time!
Climate change is the one trend that we never want to see again, and unfortunately, it’s the one that’s here to stay, year after year.
Many of us want to do our bit to be as eco-friendly as possible and lessen the impact that we are having on the earth. From bringing a re-usable cup to the coffee shop, to reducing the amount of plastic we use, every little thing can make a difference.
When we talk about eco-friendly fashion, you might think about clothes from recycled materials, or vegan leather. Something that is made with as little impact on the earth as possible. But do you ever take into consideration the conditions under which this fashion is made? About the men and women who are working to produce your favourite accessories?
From designing, right through to retail workers, ethical fashion is concerned with the working conditions of those people that make our fashion possible. This covers everything from exploitation, to fair wages and time off. Ethical fashion companies believe in fairness for everyone who helps to produce and sell their products.
Ethical women’s clothing may seem like something that is almost impossible to come by. Part of the reason behind this is our obsession with new garments. The simple answer is, many consumers don’t take the time to think about where their clothes have come from.
It wasn’t until the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, that anyone really took notice of what was happening. 1,134 people died after the Bangladeshi garment factory collapsed during the morning rush. Retailers Bon Marche, Primark, and Matalan where among those that were sourcing from the factories in this building.
In the aftermath, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was signed by over 150 companies, yet this was seen by many as too little, too late. We should continue to question just how it is possible to produce garments at such cheap prices, while providing a fair wage and working conditions for all of those involved in producing and selling it. This issue has led to the development of a fashion revolution and companies like Ecoage and Fashion Revolution are at the forefront of fighting for this change.
You may find it difficult to believe that these types of working conditions still exist, but the sad fact is that they do. Most sweatshops locations are in Asia because the poorer parts of these countries turn a blind eye to it. For the most part, sweatshop conditions are not illegal in these countries, as it is providing work for people. This is one of the major issues with sweatshops, meaning that it continues no matter what we try to do about it.
A sweatshop is defined as a place where workers are paid low wages, for long hours, in poor conditions. Traditionally, the media has been focused on sweatshops in China, however the country has experienced rapid growth and the wages across the country have risen dramatically; as the economy has improved so have the wages. Now most sweatshops are mainly located in Bangladesh and some small countries like Vietnam and Cambodia, which have received the bulk of the production that has moved away from China due to rising costs. Large brands like Nike and Adidas have moved production completely out of China to Vietnam, which enjoys lower costs.
Sweatshops are illegal in the UK, and fair labour laws means that no one should be working legally in sweatshop conditions in any country, particularly if they are manufacturing garments for a UK company. Due to the lack of transparency however, many companies either don’t know about their workers' conditions, or turn a blind eye to it because it has been outsourced by their suppliers.
Ethical fashion is at times used as a catch-all phrase incorporating both fair working conditions, as well as environmental sustainability. Eco fashion is concerned primarily with the impact that our fashion is having on the environment. This looks at the materials and resources that are used to produce a garment as well as how biodegradable it is.
Ethical fashion concerns itself with the human and animal ethics surrounding garments. When we talk about either eco or ethical fashion however, both are intimately related. For example, you can’t just be concerned with the environmental impact of making clothes while ignoring the working conditions, just as you can’t laud a company for paying a fair wage while making clothes destined to clog up landfills for thousands of years.
Slow fashion is a new trend that combines all the attitudes of ethical and eco into one package. The name comes from ‘Fast Fashion’ which is what we call the clothing stores that sell just like fast food. It’s cheap, not great quality, and never satisfies the way you think it will. Fast fashion is the opposite of eco-friendly, as it is made to be discarded in a few months or weeks, to be replaced by new clothes.
What we need is affordable ethical clothing, that doesn’t use sweatshop conditions. This is where slow fashion comes in. Slow fashion is all about ethically sourced clothing and sustainable fashion.
As the name might suggest, slow fashion produces less collections than average each year. This gives the garments the time they need to be made correctly. This means that all the employees are working standardised hours and getting fair pay while doing so.
Slow fashion wants everything that we own to be as eco-friendly as possible. This means that if there is a more sustainable way of doing things, that takes a bit longer, then this is still viable for the business. Slow fashion wants to be more sustainable in the long run, with as close to zero waste as possible.
With slow fashion, there’s no more second guessing about where a garment has come from. One of the best things about it is that you can follow the garment right from the farmers who grow the cotton that make it, through the factory, to the store or ethical clothing online store where it’s bought. Being 100% transparent is something that the producers of our food are trying to do more and more, and while this is much harder to achieve with fashion, it makes it much easier to make the right choices.
Our CEO Vanita Badlani Bagri attended a conference held by Drapers at the Gherkin, co-sponsored by Trust Pilot and which was attended by the likes of Cath Gidson, All Saints and Urban Outfitters. At the conference the main conversation revolved around how more transparency is required in the fashion industry, with our CEO talking to these high street retailers about how we have open communication with our customers and suppliers alike.
Amongst the points discussed were how fashion brands can convince shoppers that they are worthy of trust and loyalty, especially when it comes to major ethical issues. Other points of discussion included:
Slow fashion is all about clothes and accessories that are going to last. At times this makes them more expensive, but this is made up by the fact that you won’t need to replace the garments every year. If you can buy a few pieces of sustainably sourced, well made clothing, your wardrobe will last for years.
When considering the leap into slow fashion, there are a few things that you must remember and consider. We’re so used to fast fashion at our fingertips that it can be hard to readjust to this new way of thinking,
It’s not just fast fashion retailers that make use of sweatshops. Some high end, expensive retailers have been caught out as well. Ethically sourced fashion doesn’t always have to break the bank either - affordable ethical clothing and accessories is out there, if you take some time to look.
At LaBante London, sustainable fashion accessories are what our company is all about. It starts with the materials that we make our products from.
All our handbags contain 25 recycled PET water bottles. Using recycled material means that it is getting a new life instead of ending up in a landfill, and it is a great alternative to other materials that may be more environmentally damaging to produce. This process also uses less water than making fresh fabric and gives a new lease of life to waste that has been created.
We use recycled materials as much as possible, in everything from our swing tags to our paper bags. Even our sunglasses are made of 100% recycled wood and we have a zero waste packaging system.
We believe that a big part of producing ethical fashion is that it is also kind to animals. That is why all the leather we use is 100% vegan. We have even started making some of our premium ranges from leather made from vegetable waste.
Our factory is based in Guangzhou, China in a sweatshop-free environment. We have employees in China who make regular unannounced trips to the factories to check payroll and attendance and our design team also goes over to check on the conditions there. We also ensure that all our workers are well paid, to keep up with the high cost of living in the region.
Our team is made up of 99% women, and our seamstresses get maternity pay when they decide to have children.
Check out our full range of ethically sourced accessories today!
article: Vanita Badlani Bagri, LaBante founder and CEO
photos: Roger Marks Photography
It was a usual busy rainy morning at the LaBante London headquarters, and I was going through my emails.
Suddenly I received an email from a gentleman called Duke asking for us to sponsor some prizes for Dr Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots awards being held at the Barbican Centre in the City of London.
Now for those of you who know me, I get about 20 emails every minute and it's genuinely not possible to go through all of them - so I skipped past this one, but then something niggled at the back of my mind and I went back to the email. I re-read it: Dr Jane Goodall, my idol, is requesting prizes for children across the UK who are entering a fashion show to make clothing out of old things?? Gosh, I was floored! It took me couple of minutes to digest the email and to get my wits together and pen a prompt reply.
Not only did we want to sponsor just the first prize, we wanted to give more. This was my response:
"Oh that's amazing Duke and so kind that you thought about LaBante London! Thank you so much - it's an honour for us.
We would love to sponsor a vegan handbag worth £200, a pair of wooden sustainable sunglasses worth £120 and a piece of jewellery worth £80 as a LaBante special prize – we would love to be official sponsors - also I would personally like to get involved as this is something very close to my heart. Do let me know if there is anything else I can do to help :)
I think she does amazing work and I am personally a big fan so if there is anything else you need please feel free to shout."
I heard back almost immediately and Duke put me in touch with another of his coordinators who wears LaBante London, of course - a lovely young lady who immediately put our logo on their Instagram as a sponsor.
On the day of the awards I went to the stunning Barbican Centre and saw first-hand these gorgeous kids handpicked from 14 schools across the UK make such an amazing effort. They were aged 6 -14 and each one had ideas on how to be more sustainable. One school had tied up with a school in Goa, India to get the garbage around their school collected and recycled.
Another school was working on trialling Aquapax, a recycled tetra pack bottle that could be used for water or juices in schools, and which could be refilled and reused so kids did not have to use plastic water bottles at all. Aquapax makes these tetra packs out of single use plastic bottles so they help the landfills, just like us here at LaBante London.
There were other children who were looking at creating little hedgehog habitats and there was another small child almost 6 years old who came up with the idea of 'adopting an endangered animal.' Another school was making a reusable cling film made from old recycled fabric which is washable and can be reused, which would eliminate the need for plastic cling film completely.
Now for those of you who don't have hope for this world, you just needed to be here at this event that Dr Jane Goodall's amazing team had put together. You would know that although there are only 11 years left to really rectify what is wrong with this world, there are few people like Dr Jane Goodall who have been put on this planet especially to help our species - because we all know that despite being the smartest of all species have done the most damage.
After that we broke for lunch, which was a heavenly gluten free vegan lunch served in the garden of the Barbican Centre. Here is an image of me just before lunch getting ready to devour the yummies (as my 9 year old daughter would call them) with the gorgeous Rachel Kan, vintage stylist.
I also met the lovely Lucy, who works with the Miss Dorsets to collect and recycle old clothing into fun amazing new fashion that they sell to raise money for their charity. She taught the little children how to make the cling film from old clothing so that they could raise £2000 for their charity.
What a lot of inspiring people. The most amazing were Duke Ingram and Reuben Besureis who genuinely support and work with Dr Jane's charity here in the UK and as part of an amazing British eco-pop band 'Besureis' Not only do they work with the charity, they also give back to it.
Here is a lovely picture of all of us with Dr Jane Goodall. On the far left is my friend Nina, a very generous and kind young lady who runs the charity Lady Freethinker, next to her is Duke and then Dr Jane Goodall of course, and me on the far right.
Just before the fashion show I had an opportunity to talk to Dr Jane and I pretty much told her she was God's gift to our planet. She was humble and generous. I have met so many people who become small celebrities in my daily business life and here was a lady who was a real celeb and who just stood out so tall and strong and gentle at the same time, yet with so much oomph and gumption that a 20 year old standing next to her would be embarrassed with the level of energy she has. Here are two shots of us together.
For those of you who do not know much about Dr Jane's work look at this YouTube video here:
After lunch we had the Trashion Show, which was being judged by the lovely Livia Firth of Ecoage and my awesome friend Duke Ingram. These designs in the Trashion show blew me away.
There was one young lady who had made the full dress out of Lindt chocolate wrappers, there was another who had made a dress out of old newspapers but crafted it so beautifully that all the colours matched and the craftsmanship was just divine. Yet another dress was made from used tea bags.
As we had the foresight to gift so many prizes, I was able to give the winning prize to the lady with the stunning sustainable dress created from Lindt chocolate wrappers, and another girl whose recycled dress was made from bottle top openers and another one made from recycled bin bag liners.
Not only did we get to meet little children who have been working for months together putting their presentations together - here was the younger generation making a seriously amazing effort at making fun couture style clothing with garbage – this is when I think my heart started to sing.
I feel exceptionally strongly about animals, but life is a circle and you have to care about the planet if you care about the animals - because one cannot live without the other. Here is a shot of us giving the prize to the winner, Amelia Litherland from Accrington St Christopher¹s Church of England High School.
To end the lovely evening we had prizes for the young ones and a closing speech by Dr Jane. In this speech Dr Jane spoke lovingly about her best friend – her mum who had supported her to go to the jungles in her early 20's and actually went to the camp with her in Tanzania for six months. They had very little funding and Dr Jane was required to show her research around community behaviour in chimpanzees before the monies ran out.
She spoke about how difficult it was and yet her mother was her main support. Finally, just about at the end of the six months Dr Jane saw the chimpanzees using tools to eat their food and she was able to report back to the National Geographic, who gave her the additional funding she needed along with a videographer to film her findings.
That was the beginning of the making of Dr Jane Goodall – the tireless chimpanzee worker, the philanthropist and the activist. Her speech spoke to me as when I started LaBante London it was a hard upward climb - the word 'vegan' was new and I had to battle with boutique and store buyers who would not understand what ROI a vegan brand would bring to their stores.
The challenge of doing something you believe in despite all rocky beginnings is something I could relate to.
I could feel as her eyes sparkled when she spoke about her mother and the chimpanzee families that she was very passionate about what she does, and this struck a chord with me because I have run LaBante London on that very same passion. That sense of needing to make things right in this world by giving people a more sustainable option than leather - because leather is not a by-product of the food industry, it is a direct industry all by itself - I could identify with.
Today, as we are approached by stores from across the world and we grow I feel happy about what we have achieved, but the underlying humility that comes with the struggle is always in my heart.
At the end of the evening I felt really overjoyed to have supported such an amazing charity and I wanted to share this with you.
This past week we had a lovely cute baby orangutan featured on our Instagram and we received an overwhelming response to this post so we did some digging to give you more information and when we dug more it turned out the matter is much more serious than even we originally understood.
Not only are there many food and cosmetic brands that are using palm oil its found in everything from shampoo to donuts, palm oil is now the most common vegetable oil in the world—and also one of the world's leading deforestation drivers.!
Palm oil is extracted from the fruit of the palm tree, which thrives in humid climates.
The majority of palm oil production occurs in just two countries, Malaysia and Indonesia, where huge forests are being cleared to make way for palm oil plantations...but when this habitat is cleared it does TWO horrible things :
To explain in a bit more detail to set up this palm oil plantation they need to BURN the peatlands which are carbon rich. What this means is that when they are BURNED both carbon and methane are released into the atmosphere and release global warming emissions for decades!! Yes you heard right DECADES! As if that wasn't bad enough, the burning of peatlands releases a toxic haze into the atmosphere, resulting in severe health impacts and significant economic losses. Each year, more than 100,000 deaths in Southeast Asia can be attributed to particulate matter exposure from landscape fires, many of which are peat fires.
Beyond its global warming and human health impacts, palm oil production also takes a toll on biodiversity and human rights. Only about 15 percent of native animal species can survive the transition from primary forest to plantation. Among the species vulnerable to palm oil expansion are orangutans, tigers, rhinoceros, and elephants. So it’s just not the baby orangutans there are other species ALL impacted by this crazy greed.
So what did we as a Western Society do … We set up a Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil Production (RSPO) If the company you want to order products from is a member then great there are some checks in place to ensure that they don’t OVERBUY palm Oil and the sources are supposed to be sustainable. 'The Accreditation Body will certify sustainable palm oil production, as stated in the RSPO Certification Systems. Growers will be assessed for certification once every 5 years, and if certified, will be annually assessed for continued compliance’- Source Rspco.org
What can we do to help ensure this deforestation stops?
Being on the RSPO is not a guarantee card that the deforestation will not continue the only way forward is if we as a community stand up and ask Vegan brands to stop using Palm oil in their products brands such as Oreo, Jordan Cereal etc lets ask them to just stop using it
If you have other ideas write to us on ecoblogs@labante.co.uk
10 years ago most vegans would have struggled to count on more than one hand the number of quality vegan events in the UK. Nowadays, there are so many great vegan events that visitors actually need to decide between one event or the other. Living in or near the capital of London gives visitors the chance to check out lots of vegan events, festivals and get togethers. So why come to VegFestUK London 2018?
You’ve got so much more choice now as a vegan than you’ve ever had before. We hope you choose to join us on Oct 27th or 28th or both at VegfestUK London 2018. We can’t wait to hang out with our customers.
Invite Someone You Love.
Share the world of vegan luxury
with someone who shares your values — and enjoy something special together.
Because true style is even better when shared.
Help us support a better tomorrow.
