New York Fashion Week’s First All-Vegan Show
Our kind style blogger Leanne will be putting on the very first all-vegan fashion show at New York Fashion week on February 6th! She shares all about it in the post below. She’ll also be giving away tickets to 10 Kind Lifers! Read on for more info…
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Vaute Couture All-Vegan Collection at New York Fashion
By: Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart
For some vegans, being "vegan" isn't just about what you eat, but it's about what you wear too. It's a whole lifestyle revolving around eliminating the use of any animal products -- and it’s how I’ve been living for over 13 years. If you just do what you can plus a little more here and there, it really adds up to make a difference for the animals. And you’ll feel it inside too—there’s a peace that comes from knowing you’re doing what you can to not intentionally harm others.
ABOUT VAUTE COUTURE
About 4.5 years ago it became clear to me that people were still using cold weather as an excuse to wear animals (fur, wool, leather) and that if I could come up with an alternative that was no sacrifice at all, then there would be no excuse left to wear animals. To do this right, my aim had to be to create outerwear that was—I dare say—MORE gorgeous and warm than wearing animals could be. I spent 8 months of fabric research to develop the first winter dress coat that is at once totally vegan and warm enough for below freezing weather (warmer than wool). That was my line VAUTE (I wrote all about how I stared Vaute Couture here). . I’ve always cared a lot about the earth too, so I also work hard to innovate in sustainability, and use a lot of recycled, recyclable, closed loop, zero waste, and organic fabrics, and also we make almost everything locally in the NYC fashion district. My cut and sew team is comprised of amazing people that I see and know personally.
Of course, this isn’t cheap, but it’s important to me that the people who make my coats are able to afford to live in the same city I do, and I won’t make a cheaper coat so that someone can afford it if it means it’s not fair to the workers. But, I know that they aren’t cheap. So, every year I have two kinds of sales. One is when you preorder the newest upcoming styles and your patience and foresight are rewarded with an awesome deal (sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our site not to miss it this year!). The other is in the middle of winter, when you can nab one of the last of our limited edition (like now).
GET A DISCOUNT
The all vegan & super warm BOOK and LORI coats, named after two of my favorite customers.
Our coats are currently on winter sale and shown at 25% off-50% off, and starting TODAY, Kind Life readers get an ADDITIONAL 20% off with code {KINDLIFECOATS}, now through March 1st! It’s the perfect time to invest in a piece to wear now and again next year.
Check out all the coats here in our coat shop, and we also have cute sustainable tops here too & organic printed bows (which aren’t part of the sale, sorry!). As a small independent label, we sell out quickly so hurry if you find one you love-love-love.
I also sell the Vaute Couture sweatshirt in my OpenSky store… if we have any left!! It's so hard to keep her stuff in the store because it goes so fast! - AS
VAUTE AT FASHION WEEK
And... (deep breath), I have BIG news. I am showing our first SOLO show at New York Fashion Week!! And, we were chosen to be on the official Fashion Week Grid, as one of the highlighted shows... I’m so thrilled/terrified/and thrilled. This is a big step for Animal Rights, as we are the first all-vegan/animal rights fashion label to show at New York Fashion Week and I can’t wait to show the fashion world that there is absolutely no reason to wear animals again. I’m showing my first Ready to Wear Collection, so in addition to our signature coats and winter accessories, I’ll be showing skirts, dresses, pants, and blouses, using the latest in sustainable eco and vegan fabrics—fabrics I’ve been sourcing all year. Most designers create from fabrics that they can just grab at a store, and they have so many options! I only design from the latest innovations in eco and vegan fabrics and often work with mills to create custom fabrics for my line, so we can show the world the next step in ethical fashion.
And so, one more thing! More exciting news!
JOIN US AT FASHION WEEK!
We are showing at New York Fashion Week, and inviting a few of you!
Fashion Week is usually exclusive to press and buyers, but we are breaking the rules and would love to invite the biggest fans of kind fashion to the Vaute Couture fashion show (assuming you can get to NYC)! It’s February 6th, 11:30am 12:30pm and we are giving away 10 pairs of tickets for a winner and their guest to come to the show. If you’d be able to take off work, or an early lunch to come, and would like to be considered…
HOW TO ENTER:
Leave a comment below as to why you’d love to come to the show. We’ll pick our favorite 10 entries, and you can get dressed up and bring your BFF, Mom, sis, whoever you’d like.
(Please don’t enter unless you can make it to the show)
(P.S. we might also have a few canine models there who will be available for adoption! But that's a surprise so shh! Please check out Petfinder.org if you’re in the market to adopt a new best friend.)
SUPER excited to hopefully meet you!
warmest,
Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart
Founder/President of VAUTE (www.VauteCouture.com)
Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart is a kind fashion expert for TheKindLife.com& the Founder & President of VAUTE COUTURE, the first fashion house to focus on developing high style vegan apparel that does not yet exist on the market, especially for cold weather. With no background in apparel, she spent her life savings and a year developing the first and only true winter dress coat line that is at once vegan & warmer than wool to prove that there is no reason to wear animals. The label has been featured in Marie Claire Magazine, WWD, & Oprah.com. Bust Magazine said Leanne is a "Badass business woman, informative and inspiring" & Teen Vogue said "We can't think of a better way to keep warm this winter." Visit VauteCouture.com to learn more.
38 comments
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I am so terribly disappointed to have received an email telling me that I was one of the lucky winners chosen to attend the Vaute fashion show today - LESS THAN 20 HOURS BEFORE THE SHOW STARTED! With such limited notice, there was no way for me to plan to attend and it seems such a shame to offer something so lovely in a way that makes it impossible to accept. What happened, ladies? I don't understand. I hope you are able to get others to attend since the show is already in progress. -
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Hello! I would love to come see the show and am so excited that you are holding it.
I am based in Los Angeles and arrived in NYC last night to show my first solo vegan designer footwear collection, Krže Studio, www.krzestudio.com, at FFANY which is one of the largest footwear tradeshows in America. I am quite lucky that it just so happens to coincide with fashion week here.
I would love to be able to support your endeavors and fashion as Vaute Couture has been a big inspiration to me and my work as well. Hope we can connect here in NYC. I wish you the absolute best of luck with the show and hope it garners a ridiculous amount of press and brings even more awareness and success to your company; you deserve it, what you are taking a stand for isn't easy, and it certainly is the way of the future. You are paving the way for more ethical fashion to become the standard practice within the industry.
xx Leila -
I would love to come to this show because Leanne was the first person willing to do an interview on our blog at http://fromatovegan.com/interviews/interview-with-leanne-mai-ly-hilgart/ Since then my wife and and I have bought coats and three of our friends.
The Vaute Couture coat that I have is the warmest, most stylish coat I have ever owned. I get compliments on it where ever I go. -
dear alicia,
thank you for sharing this collection! i really like it a lot! hopefully they ship to europe too!
brgds isabel
pls have a kind look at my german/english blog
http://vegan-days.blogspot.de/ -
I am a performer. Two years ago, I had a baby - and that changed my entire thought process about what life actually is. I became vegetarian - not for health reasons, and not really for animal rights reasons (although I guess that's what it kind of was). I realized that after giving birth to my son, eating animals was not an option - life was valuable and I respected it in a completely different way. Coupling this with the fact that my stylist happens to be vegan and started showing me more and more vegan fashion options, my decision made sense. I have to say, she and I have explored a lot of different fashions but we have yet to find a vegan designer that truly speaks to me overall as an artist/performer/woman/human being. I'd really love to attend your show with my stylist, who is also a great friend for a couple of reasons:
1. it would be exciting to support your show! (I played London Fashion Week a couple of years ago -- it was fierce and I love how hard designers work to showcase their new lines!)
2. it would be a great education for me, personally, to see a complete fashion line that is vegan up close and personal in this way. Although I have to be honest and say I am vegetarian (not vegan), I DO have extensive discussions with my stylist (and plenty of other folks) about the importances and need of educating others that there are kind and ethically source fashions that ARE really beautiful and stylish!
3. As a "mom in show business" it's important for me to continue my path as we are raising our son vegetarian and are educating him and choosing kind and ethically sourced products for him. I want this life to be second nature to him and not a "choice" - like I made later. Okay, not directly connected to Fashion Week, but in a roundabout way, it is. It's all about the environments and people and I want to encourage my son (and my husband, who became vegetarian to support my choices - how cool is he?!) that an ethical life extends so far beyond the table in so many, many ways.
4. Let's face it, plain and simple -- it would be an AWESOME experience and I would absolutely love it!!!!
Congratulations on your upcoming show! I know it is going to be amazing!!! -
Oh, how I would love to see your show at Fashion Week! I'm an Image Consultant and Wardrobe Stylist in NYC. I specialize in coaching my clients on how to make compassionate wardrobe choices that make them look and feel fabulous. Naturally seeing anything at Fashion Week would be just amazing for me, but your particular show would be an extra special bonus. I've been following you (not stalking, ha ha) for a few years and am so happy to see how your business has grown! I own the Audrey winter coat and the blue rain jacket myself and get so many compliments on them. People can't believe they are all vegan, ethically sourced and so cool looking. It's really exciting for my clients to be able to learn that designers like you and businesses like yours exist and thrive! All the best to you, have a great show!! -
Oh boy... being vegan, and working at vegan jobs; but having to deal with customers with uncompassionate fashion (FUR, still?!?!) makes me really jaded. I would love to attend the show and see beautiful, inspired designs that didn't come from the lives of others. Love the concept. Love vaute. Love the kind life. Peace! -
Being vegan used to be all about changing my diet. Now it's about everything. When I got married my family couldn't understand why it was important to me not to have wool, silk or leather be a component in my dress or shoes. I felt like I could be a beautiful bride without having an animal be harmed. I loved some of the non vegan styles but it meant much more to me to make sure I was cruelty free. Being able to see all the beautiful vegan fashion would mean a lot to me. I would love to see how beautiful compassion can be.
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Great idea for the animal lover culture. World Swimwear is also an animal lover forward company. www.worldswimwear.com
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Alicia and Leanne,
I just moved to the tri-state area for graduate school and love any opportunity to go into NYC. I am still trying to find my place in this new community, especially as a new vegan. (I have been vegetarian for a few years but Alicia, your book really lit a fire in me to care more and encourage others to be kind too). It would be so encouraging to me to be able to be part of this groundbreaking endeavor that represents a more just and peaceful way of living. My best friend would be able to accompany me to the fashion show; she has been trying to understand my commitment to being vegan and I think this would be an awesome opportunity for her to learn more and start making more kind choices as well.
Thanks for considering us for this adventure! -
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Beautiful things sure make being vegan easier! I wouldn't be able to go (being stuck in a small little mountain town for now as evidenced by my blog post: http://www.marystestkitchen.com/cold-tofurkey-month-5-vegan-heaven-city-to-small-mountain-town/ ) but I hope it goings AMAZEBALLS for you!
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I cannot tell you HOW MUCH it would mean to me to see your show at ny fashion week!!!! It has been an ambition of mine to go to ny fashion week since I started reading YM magazine when I was 15. I am a relatively new vegan, only about 2 years, and also a pastry chef, fashion lover, and lifelong seamstress...I love to admire the design and construction of clothing. I am also mother of two small boys I am raising vegan as best I can (their dad isn't on board...yet) I have been planning a trip AROUND ny fashion week for THIS YEAR!!! I wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not, because I was unsure of how many shows I could actually get into. THIS WOULD BE AMAZING!!!! I am a HUGE vegan advocate! And I love your clothes...I would wear every single item of clothing I've seen on your site!!! you are doing a superb job and I applaud you for going to such lengths to be vegan in every way!! love you!
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Hey there! I'm Christine and I own an all-natural mineral cosmetics + body care company, Angelberry Organics (www.angelberryorganics.com). Our mission is to help women celebrate their natural beauty with healthy, vegan and eco-friendly products. We love meeting and networking with passionate companies (see an example here: http://bit.ly/13pHzX7 ). It would be amazing to share the knowledge of vegan fashion with our followers and readers as it's the perfect complement to makeup! It would be a DREAM COME TRUE to check out an all-vegan FASHION SHOW. Would LOVE to join you! Cheers to being eco-friendly AND fabulous!
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This is so exciting! I am a "green" wedding & event planner located on Long Island and fashion can play a big part in any event (from the engagement shoot to the rehearsal dinner to the honeymoon). I always try to suggest kinder clothing options to my clients and knowing there will be more available is really great! On the personal side, I've been inching my way closer in the move from vegetarian to vegan and this year I decided to forgo replacing my worn winter coat and boots until I could find vegan styles I loved. Perfect timing! It's cold here in NY! -
I'm a freelance copywriter and don't have any projects or meetings scheduled for Feb. 6th. Your show would be such a fun way for me to spend my day off! I live in NJ but can get to the city mid-day in less than half an hour when there's no traffic :) -
I applaude you for making kind clothing and congratulations on making your way into the mainstream!!! I would love to attend especially since I am a new mom of a beautiful baby girl (do you make baby clothes?)--and I need a night out!! I've always wanted to go to fashion week but its often too fur filled :( now I don't have an excuse!! Hooray!! -
Leanne, I am very proud and admire all your efforts in the industry as well as your love for animals and express with your work what others can't. I will be honor to attend fashion week and enjoy your talents in person and I believe my daughter has been a great student and a responsible person who would love to accompany me to have some fun and a learning experience, she is in the 11th grade and would like to be a veterinarian, or a horticulturist, so this would be a great present for her since her birthday is approaching. I am an artist and stay home mother trying to launch a career in the eco-fashion industry, my work emphasizes in natural dyes and fibers as well as working with artisans from my home country Honduras. I would take advantage and learn so much from this experience to help my self and others if I have the opportunity to attend.
Have a great show and enjoy the day.
Love.
Luz Bonta -
I love it! Beautiful clothes and a fabulous way to spread the word on veganism. I have been vegan for close to 15 years. I have three beautiful vegan daughters. Being vegan together with my yoga practice is what keeps me young and Healthy. Since I am a part time working full time mom I'd love to come to the show to get in touch with the fashionista that is still in me. Having a family has made me even more committed to the vegan lifestyle. Teaching my children the truth behind the food industry is close to my heart. Best of luck! -
This is fantastic!!! I've been a dedicated and passionate vegan for 3+ years now and have never felt better! I applaud you for your line and for keeping it local! As a performer and active NYC vegan, I'm passionate about living the Kind way and make sure that when I'm on stage I do the same.
A dear friend and colleague of mine has a fantastic new business http://www.garmnt.com and I would LOVE to be able to bring him along, so that he can recommend all of these fabulous fashions to his clients!
I look forward to (hopefully!) hearing from you - but either way toi toi, thank you and congrats!
~Lindsay -
I know I can't make it, but I wish Leanne all the best in the world for her show. She is a wonderful person. Go Vegan! -
I met Leanne and bought my first Vaute Couture coat at the National Animal Rights Conference in 2010. I quickly spread the word on my Cruelty-Free Faves blog, and have since added other VC pieces to my personal collection. Best wishes for a spectacular fashion week. SO great to have VC showing the world that dressing vegan doesn't mean having to compromise on style. -
My husband and I have been vegetarian turned vegan over the last 25 years and would love to go to the fashion week!
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I'd love to go and be apart of this historic event! As a vegan homeschooled highschooler who LOVES clothes, I not only have the academic freedom to attend, but would LOVE to do so. This is a MAJOR step forward in our movement.
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