As if Fashion Month wasn't niche enough of an event as it is, it's getting even more nuanced: Vegan Fashion Week is headed to Los Angeles.
In attempts to "to empower conscious brands and humans globally with an elevated platform for achievement, inspiration, and discovery," the four-day event is a "tribute to animals and an ode to the end of animal exploitation," its website reads. And seeing as Los Angeles recently became the largest city in the U.S. to ban the use of fur, it's only fitting that it'd play host to the eco-event.
But will people come? And how can clothes be vegan, anyway?
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For starters, the event follows a first-of-its-kind format that some industry figures have pushed for in recent seasons: you have to buy tickets to go. As Fashion Month attendees lament crowded and hard-to-get-to venues, an increasing number of show crashers, and late start times, even the designers themselves should be asking why they're still paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a 15-minute, free event on top the money it takes to create the clothing itself — whether the clothes contain animal products (skins, hair, feathers, fur, leather, wool, and silk) or not.
The event, produced and curated by Emmanuelle Rienda — the "vegan fashion stylist" (that's her Instagram handle) — aims to fuse fashion with environmentally conscious activism. And will cost you between $20 (£15) and $60 (£47) to attend, depending if you want GA or VIP access (which both come with their own perks, including a goodie bag). Its launch will take place in the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, with guests being invited to visit the Vegan World at the California Market Center in the following days, to shop a selection of animal-free designers, including a vegan lounge offering cruelty-free fashion, beauty, and food.
No word yet on which designers will attend, but the event is the latest evidence that the fashion industry is growing more and more sustainable. Just last year, several luxury houses added their names to the list of brands going fur-free, including Chanel, who banned the use of exotic skins. Additionally, a report on the shopping habits of young consumer in Business of Fashion shows that "wokeness", transparency, and sustainability are some of the defining issues of our time.