While in the past vegan fashion was something we had to actively search for, it is now becoming more and more mainstream, due to the evergrowing demand for products that aren’t derived from animals. And with an evergrowing demand, come more options- one of the most recent ones is VEAR: a new online destination for vegan handbags, based in Detroit, USA.
I got to talk with the Founder of VEAR, Donovan, who’s also a computer programmer, app developer and a fashion lover: “I’ve always adored fashion: when I was a teenager I used to get my clothes embroidered to personalize them”. It seemed like Donovan and I had instant chemistry- as he is such a friendly, positive guy with so much passion for what he’s doing and to animals. Not so long ago, he decided to make his dream come true and opened VEAR (Vegan Wear – ‘Ver).
“3 years ago my wife Emily and I went vegan after watching Forks Over Knives and Food Inc” – Donovan says. “I was always someone that had a love and fascination with animals. There was always a conflicting feeling between how I was living and how I felt before starting this journey. Looking back now I’m surprised I didn’t go vegan earlier. After changing our diet we started down a path of making sure other items we purchased didn’t have the suffering of animals attached to it. Similar to the process of discovering how many foods have animal products in them it was soon realized how many fashion items were made from animals.”
“I was always someone that had a love and fascination with animals. There was always a conflicting feeling between how I was living and how I felt before starting this journey. Looking back now I’m surprised I didn’t go vegan earlier”
VEAR’s Story
After going vegan, Emily and Donovan were looking for vegan bags that was suitable for Emily’s personal style, and after scrolling and searching around from one site to the next, they found many vegan bag brands that they liked, and decided to look for a website that was offering exclusively vegan bags- but couldn’t find one. That’s why Donovan decided to open VEAR and offer a one-stop destination for the stunning vegan bags from the brands they both liked the most.
VEAR’s Sustainability & Ethics
Sustainability is very important to VEAR- Donovan said: “If we can help make a positive impact we want to take action to do that. It’s important that customers can come to VEAR and shop with the peace of mind that what they’re purchasing not only had a very little negative impact but a large positive impact”.
Apart from being vegan, the brands Vear features are also ethical and sustainable. They make sure the brands they work with are using vegan eco-friendly materials (no PVC), recycled materials such as hardware and R.PET (recycled plastic bottles), and that products are made with fair-trade, ethical practices to ensure the social, economic and environmental well-being of people making their products.
Consciousness is an inseparable part of VEAR’s ethics: they to get the handbags to us safely while trying to produce as little waste as possible and only use biodegradable and recycled packaging materials for everything from the shipping box, packaging tape, protective filler, stickers and marketing materials.
“If we can help make a positive impact we want to take action to do that. It’s important that customers can come to VEAR and shop with the peace of mind that what they’re purchasing not only had a very little negative impact but a large positive impact”.
Brands You Can Find In VEAR
GUNAS New York
“We believe that just being a vegan brand is not sufficient. We care about people just as much as we care about the planet. It is important for us to know who makes our bags.”
Believing that veganism is a lifestyle, GUNAS have been contributing to the cause of not using animals as products before it became a trend. This independent high fashion label started in 2009 by designer and animal lover, Sugandh G. Agrawal. What initially began as an all MADE IN NYC label, has now gone global to source and manufacture bags and shoes using artisan and small-scale ethical manufacturers from countries such as India, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil and Hong Kong in sweatshop-free ethical, fair factories- each of them has been visited and checked for ethical working conditions for their workers. Their cause also extends to protecting the environment. No PVC is used and they incorporate up-cycled upholstery fabrics and vintage materials into their collection. The custom logo hardware is made using recycled metals and is 24-carat gold plated. The lining fabric is made from up-cycled cotton canvas or recycled plastic bottles (essentially recycled Polyester) and they only use YKK zippers.
JW PEI
“Committed to designing with 100% vegan leather, we are demonstrating how a fashion brand can push the boundaries to make products that are beautiful, sustainable and cruelty-free”.
JW PEI was born from the idea of offering ethical, vegan handbags using fine vegan material while upholding the same luxurious leather look and feel so many love. Aaron Pei, the founder of JW PEI, discovered an innovative new material called ultra-microfiber while he visited China back in 2009, and left with overwhelming disbelief that people were still continuing to slaughter innocent animals when the perfect alternative already existed. Ultra-microfiber is a game changer when it comes to the vegan fashion world; it’s about 30-50% lighter than leather, but what it lacks in weight it makes up for in strength as it’s around 5-20 times stronger than other synthetic leather materials on the market.
Melie Bianco
“Our motivation every season is to offer affordable, vegan, fair luxury to the everyday woman, regardless of her budget”.
Affordable, vegan, ethical and high-quality: Melie Bianco creates premium vegan leather handbags are sculpted with love in a cruelty-free, sweatshop-free environment. To remain animal-friendly they use a material called PU (Polyurethane), which is less harmful than a cheap plastic such as PVC. This brand cares about people, too- that’s why they make sure their workers and ensure that the people making their handbags have fair pay, breaks, age requirements, gender equal opportunities, free lunches and even paid vacations.
EVVE Milano
“choosing vegan products is about choosing a lifestyle of compassion. It’s about making good choices for yourself and the environment. It’s about taking a stand against cruelty and the exploitation of animals”.
Mamma mia: When Italian style meets New York freedom of expression, great things happen. This relatively new, edgy vegan brand wants to inspire women who feel they don’t need to compete against others to feel happiness or find satisfaction; look within yourself and discover your true self! That’s what their slogan, “Revveal Your Nature”, is all about – freedom and authenticity. Shine your light and you’ll never lose yourself in darkness. Their bags are edgy and unique and would easily spice up every outfit.
Wilby
“Wilby was created for people who want to be fashionable but struggle with the leather market due to vegan values or environmental beliefs”.
Based in Chelsea UK, Wilby is a vegan, sustainable brand specializing in chic clutch bags. Jamie and Lucy, Wilby’s founders, are both passionate about different aspects of the brand: Jamie is passionate about the environment and was at the forefront of the World Land Trust tree planting campaign, while Lucy is motivated more by veganism and opposing cruelty to animals. That explains why their bags are made with 100% vegan materials in fair, ethical factories. Wilby uses cork in many of their bags, which is a 100% natural, biodegradable and renewable resource. Organic materials, such as hemp and cotton, are used where possible.
VEARing Vear: Outfit Details
The bag I got from Vear is the Madison Pe bag by Gunas New York. It is such a classic, elegant black tote that naturally became a true essential in my wardrobe: it looks great, super well made and lightweight without compromising the quality and would fit every occasion, it has the perfect size for all my daily essentials, a large water bottle, snacks, and even my 13-inch commuter fits inside easily. It has one big compartment 2 slip pockets and one zip pocket inside and an external, handy zip compartment for your keys, headphones and lip balm. If you are looking for a gorgeous, spacious everyday bag, it would be a great choice for you! I wore it with a smart, casual look, as I feel like this bag would be perfect for a boss-babe on the go! Even an effortless look of a slip top, jeans and a casual blazer can easily be elevated with a nice looking bag 🙂
Ethical OOTD details:
Madison PE bag Bag from Vear Fashion
Olivia Slip Top by Sanikai Clothing
Old Stradivarius Blazer- similar here
Old HM Jeans- similar here
Hope you enjoyed today’s post! what’s your bag from Vear? did you like learning about them? Let me know what you think in the comments!
You can find vear here: www.vearfashion.com
See you soon!
xx
Noa
All the pictures were taken by the talented Tevel Gilad
For more outfits, inspiration, and updates follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Bloglovin‘
*This post is part of a paid collaboration with Vear Fashion. There are none affiliate links or codes in this post. All the opinions are mine only. To read more, visit my ethics page.
Pingback: Thai Dreams: Stylish Vegan Comfort Shoes by HEXA - Style with a Smile