Luxury Vegan Fashion is the Future
Right now, one of the best places to shop for luxury vegan fashion is on the Immaculate Vegan marketplace. We have been fans from the beginning and were among the first brands to jump on board. So, last week, we caught up with Founding Director Annick Ireland to learn more.
Annick is the Founding Director of Immaculate Vegan and is responsible for marketing, content, category development and brand acquisition. Her background is in marketing and branding, having held senior roles within a number of prominent media organisations.
When and why did you start Immaculate Vegan?
I became vegetarian after adopting a greyhound from the Retired Greyhound Trust, and making the link between the pets we love and all animals; and then soon after that the penny finally dropped and I became vegan. I initially found it hard to find really high-quality and on-trend vegan bags, shoes and accessories. After a LOT of time on Instagram, I finally found several gorgeous brands, but what struck me was that as a committed vegan, it was still sometimes hard to see what I was looking for – and in all likelihood, the average ‘conscious consumer’ who’s just looking to make some better choices wouldn’t find them.
The real, impactful change will only come from persuading the many, not the few, to choose more ethically and sustainably. And I firmly believe that to achieve change on a large scale, the alternative needs to look more beautiful, more sexy, and more aspirational than the status quo. And it needs to be presented without judgement.
So, I founded Immaculate Vegan to achieve that. We launched a content blog in the Summer of 2019 and our complete online store in the Winter of 2019. Our mission is to help drive the shift to an ethical and sustainable lifestyle that optimises happiness and wellness for the many, not the few. We believe we can do this by changing the perception of the vegan lifestyle – from alternative to aspirational and limiting to transformational.
What was the initial reaction to the concept?
We’ve been really overwhelmed with how much support we’ve had from people – brands and customers alike. The primary response has been how impressed they’ve been to find so many amazing brands and products that are high quality, beautifully designed, and 100% vegan. Many people have struggled to find the beautiful things they want (and used to buy before they became vegan or vegetarian) and have been frustrated with the vegan versions they’ve come across.
It’s summed up for me in this feedback from a customer:
“Finally a single source for exquisite products! I am so tired of only casual options and poor quality products for vegans. We go to events, we want to look nice, we want to say.. oh, you like my shoes? They’re vegan! [I’ve been] aching for new savvy products on one site! You nailed it! You have a customer for life.”
Which brands were the first to come on board?
We actually launched with about 60 brands (we’re now at around 90), so we were lucky to have so many great brands from the start. And we were delighted that Watson & Wolfe joined us right from the get-go!
How have you seen attitudes change to cruelty-free and eco-fashion in recent years?
Luxury brands have been at the forefront of the fashion movement for decades. Now, luxury vegan fashion is making its mark, too, where the emphasis is not only on superior quality and cruelty-free but also on ethics and sustainability, which are also huge considerations.
100%, there’s been a significant increase in the levels of interest and engagement with ethical and sustainable fashion from a consumer perspective. It’s driven by a few things coming together – the increasing urgency of climate change issues, an increasing awareness of the suffering caused to animals, and damage to people and the environment by industrial animal farming and fast fashion.
What we’ve also seen at the same time, and it’s related, is the launch of many new high-end fashion brands in the ethical and sustainable space, so consumers now have a fantastic choice.
The materials have just got better and better, too. The quality is incredible if you look at the vegan leathers used by brands like Watson & Wolfe, Ross Oliver, and MIOMOJO, to name just three examples. It’s better than animal leather. These brands use great renewable, sustainable sources, including leather from bio-oils, apple skins, and pineapple leaves.
You really don’t have to compromise on style or quality anymore if you want to buy ethically and sustainably, and I think the quality and variety of the brands we have on Immaculate Vegan are a testament to that.
Do you think the current situation with the Covid 19 pandemic will result in more people moving to a plant-based lifestyle and making more ethical purchasing decisions?
I do, absolutely. It’s accelerating the speed at which people are linking up the choices they make about what they purchase and consume with the effect those have on the environment. That includes the damage inflicted on ecosystems not just by animal agriculture for food but also by fast fashion and fashion that provides for animal products.
We need to ditch leather not just because of the animal cruelty involved but because it’s the most environmentally harmful material in fashion (followed closely by silk, inorganic cotton and wool – see the 2018 Pulse of Fashion Report). It results in vast amounts of deforestation and habitat loss, bringing animals and humans closer and closer together and facilitating the spread of viruses like COVID-19 (and many more scary viruses out there that could leap next). The wild animal skin trade, which includes snakes and crocodiles, does the same thing.
Whatever materials are used, fast fashion depletes the earth’s natural, finite resources at a speed that can’t be renewed. This contributes to climate change through hefty carbon emissions from manufacturing and creates pollution and landfill. All these things are interlinked – global warming causes habitat loss through desertification and flooding, landfill causes habitat loss, farming raw materials cause habitat loss, and a warmer climate facilitates a greater spread of diseases. It’s a complex chain, but a light is finally shining on it. It’s all fed by our choices and demands, which I’m very hopeful we will see change.
We set up Watson & Wolfe because we feel men are under-represented in this sector. Would you agree? Do you think that is changing?
I do agree, and I think that’s mainly because there was just less demand out there. But I think that’s definitely changing – we only have a small men’s offering across bags, shoes and accessories, and we haven’t been actively marketing to men. Still, we’ve had strong sales of our men’s products, which I think is because they’re really searching for beautiful, high-quality items that are also ethical and sustainable, and they’re more challenging to find.
We’re seeing several brands expand out from women’s shoes and bags to include men’s ranges now, and there are also lots of new men’s brands launching all the time, particularly in sustainable clothing, so I’m hopeful there will be a much better choice available soon.
What new vegan brands should we be looking out for?
There are so many exciting new vegan brands out there! Some of my favourites are Minuit sur Terre and Bahé, who both make gorgeous sustainable trainers. We’ve also just welcomed Thalie to the site, who makes the most beautiful women’s handbags.
I also love our swimwear collection, including French brand Olly; and the Eyewear collectio by Bird Eyewear. All of these brands, like Watson & Wolfe, have sustainability built into their business from day one, and they’re always thinking about what else they can do to be more sustainable and give back, which is brilliant.
We’ll welcome many new brands to the store over the next few months, so watch this space!
Which are your personal favourite/go-to brands and why?
I genuinely love every brand we sell, and we set very high standards about who can come on board – we have to believe in the products, the team behind them, and the sustainability story.
What have you been cooking in lockdown?
It’s excellent being vegan in lockdown, as it’s been relatively easy to get all the good basics, which for me is a ton of organic brown basmati rice and every type of bean available! I’ve been doing a lot of big pots of soup, stews, and curries, and now that the weather is so lovely, I'm making things like falafel and substantial salads with everything thrown in them. I also enjoy meals like vegan hot dogs (Moving Mountains are my favourite), burgers (Frys) and ice creams for hot days (vegan Cornettos and even vegan Magnum Almonds!)
What are your favourite cookbooks?
I don’t buy cookbooks, but I follow lots of vegan bloggers. I generally go for simplicity. The best stuff I’ve made has been by @rainbowplantlife, @oatmeal_stories and @bosh.tv.
What are you wearing today?
A navy jumpsuit by People Tree and BeFlamboyant trainers.
What advice would you give to someone considering moving to a plant-based lifestyle?
We have just written two articles about this, 10 Reasons Why Now is the Time to Try a Vegan Diet and Top 10 Tips for Trying A Vegan Diet, which has several recommendations on how to start and how to keep it up. But overall, I would say go for it and don’t procrastinate – there really are no downsides, only a positive impact on your health and the environment. Also, start small. You don’t have to become 100% vegan overnight unless, of course, you want to. If you’re anxious about it or don’t know where to start, make some simple swaps that you can keep up, such as finding some meat-free recipes for a few meals you love or swapping out your milk for dairy-free alternatives (my favourites are Plenish Cashew Milk and Rebel Kitchen Semi-Skimmed – but there are so many options out there). Then, you can add more weekly swaps until you get to where you ultimately want to be.
There’s also so many support groups, advice and recipes online, so ask for help if you’re struggling or short on ideas, this can and should be a really enjoyable journey!
What plans do you have for Immaculate Vegan in the future?
We have only recently launched, and we have very ambitious plans for the future. Our goal is to be the leading global vegan lifestyle platform, with a rich content offering alongside our store. We have already started creating much more content for our Magazine. We are also working hard to expand our product categories and the brands we have in each category, including clothing, denim, activewear, nightwear and loungewear. We will expand our men’s offering and our global brand offering as we want our customers to be able to shop more locally and regionally.
Follow us on:
