After a year of being locked in our homes without a way to satisfy our need for fashion, it was such as wonderful experience getting out, putting on our finest veganwear, and making an entrance into Los Angeles’s Vegan Fashion Week. After spending time socializing with both established and new vegan designers, we learned that while there is definitely a market for high-quality, luxury vegan accessories, most of the vegan fashion trends are leaning in a very edgy and gender fluid direction thanks to the interests of Gen Z. From the showroom to the runway, here are VIVA GLAM’s highlights from Vegan Fashion Week.
THE SHOWROOM
AWEAR
AWEAR by Steph Griffith was, perhaps, our favorite brand on the showroom floor as this vegan brand raises both awareness and money for endangered species. They are playing their part to help save wildlife, and by shopping with them, you are helping the cause, too. Their prints were absolutely stunning, each representing a natural aspect of an endangered species. Plus, they make adorable hair ties and over-sized scrunchies. These items are incredibly retro and look stunning in their modern prints. I’ve been wearing one of their hair ties as a neck scarf for a pop of print in my looks, and I’ve found it’s the perfect accessory for me.
Shoes53045
We absolutely loved learning about Shoes53045, as they are clearly bringing the 90s back in trend through their vegan shoes. Their name alone is a testament to this, with the 53045 representing ‘shoes’ on the old-school calculators of the 90s. Aside from looking incredibly comfortable and stylish, these shoes have high-tech bubble air soles for comfortability and come in some of the most bright, amazing color combinations. We just can’t get enough of them.
Pushaoo
While Pushaoo offers cute, traditional vegan outfits made out of hemp, we were really inspired by their fanny packs! They offer some unbelievably cute fanny packs made out of hemp that come in a variety of colors and prints. This is another testament to the 90s emerging back in style in today’s fashion. Why make fashion from hemp? Well, hemp uses 1/20th the amount of water as other materials and absorbs CO2, making it incredibly sustainable.
Sylth Virago
Sylth Virago offers chic, luxury vegan shoes of all types. From tall, statement boots to adorable, bow-adorned loafers, our team loved this footwear brand. Made in Italy, the insoles of these shoes are made from recycled rubber, and the velvet is partially recycled cotton, and they are working with plant-based leather products that will be coming soon. The world is finally in a place where they are realizing they can make products and, in turn, money from waste, so why not use plant-based leather? Our favorite shoes were the Athene, perfectly feminine loafers adorned with a cute bow.
Sylvan New York
Speaking of luxury, high-end vegan shoes, we do also have to talk about Sylvan New York. This gorgeous vegan-leather brand is made in Italy from coconut husks, corn wheat seeds, and tree sap. Sylvan offers nature-derived designs that are still perfectly luxurious for the chic vegan looking to strut her stuff in style.
Pure Void
Pure Void offers that edgy vegan fashion perspective that pushes boundaries. We definitely felt that Pure Void was the most artistic brand at VFW this year, as the designer is a photographer, and she uses her own photos printed on her products through a large, dark-room style process. The prints are unique, colorful, and no one can say they are boring. These pieces make an edgy statement.
Fleur & Bee
Lastly, what vegan showroom would be complete without skincare? Fleur & Bee offers natural, safe, cruelty-free, and 100% vegan products that nourish your skin. We found the products to be gentle yet effective. We were also inspired to find that 1% of purchases from Fleur & Bee go to Days for Girls, a nonprofit that provides sustainable menstrual care and education to girls in need.
THE RUNWAY
While the showroom featured some luxury, high-end accessories, most of the clothing designs we saw were rocking a more edgy feel. We definitely saw this edge on the runway but added to this was a lot of ambiguity. From the runway shows we saw, we can definitely say that ambiguous, gender-fluid fashion is the way of the future.
Vegan Tiger & Nous Etudions
Both shows we saw on the runway, the Vegan Tiger show and the Nous Etudions show, offered a larger-than-life, unique take on vegan fashion. The pieces all made statements, walked a line of edge, and showcased pieces that were very gender fluid. Most of these looks would work on anyone, male, female, or nonbinary. Several Nous Etudion looks even went as far as covering the model’s face, erasing the identity of gender and judgment. I feel this fashion accented the gender-neutral movement of today’s time proudly.
We learned that the vegan fashions of VFW are not to be ignored. These designers are ready to make a statement and draw more attention to the vegan fashion world. Are you ready to listen?
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