Vegan Fashion Week educates attendees with new 'The Future of Fashion' conference

Vegan Fashion Week returned to Los Angeles earlier this October, focusing on the idea behind its theme, Fashion is Activism.

On Oct. 14 and 15, Vegan Fashion Week invited industry professionals and fashion enthusiasts were invited to come in and experience this idea in-person at the California Market Center. There, designers from around the world came together to share how they continue to disrupt the industry and push for vegan fashion to become the industry standard. As with the last rendition of Vegan Fashion Week, the organization hosted a fashion show featuring designs from Japanese designer Ran Enda and her eponymous label, Enda.

This season’s Vegan Fashion Week also took an educational approach, with a series of informative panels as part of its Future of Fashion conference discussing how industry professionals—including those interested in starting brands—and fashion lovers can contribute to this movement. Panels included sessions such as “How to Build a Vegan Brand: Vegan Fashion 101,” Social Justice, Sustainability, and Animal Rights: Essential Synergy for the Future of Fashion,” and “Activism Through Social Media: Using your Platform to Advocate for and Promote Vegan and Ethical Fashion.”

Fall’s Vegan Fashion Week pushed forward the idea of promoting ethical fashion through education with its Future of Fashion conference and panel series

“The relationship between fashion, factory farming, and climate change cannot be ignored,” Emmanuelle Rienda, the founder of Vegan Fashion Week, said in a statement. “Vegan sustainable fashion is the ultimate answer to climate change and waste pollution. I created an inclusive and collaborative movement dedicated to redesigning the industry and the consumers’ daily habits.”

“I think [veganism] definitely has been a growing trend,” Enda shared during the “How to Build a Vegan Brand” panel. “When you see in fast fashion, for sure it’s a trend. Also in the top-tier brands—they are opting out of fur. You see different levels of the fashion brands going vegan. But I feel like it’s independent designers who are going to make the changes and set the new trend.”

Participating brands, such as Jota Kena—which is led by South African sisters Tanith and Keziah Swinford— also had the chance to exhibit their pieces and share their missions. Tanith shared that the brand’s focus is truly about the people they work with and finding the most sustainable practices to create its pieces. The brand also takes on a charitable aspect, donating 10 percent of its profits to charity and non-profit organizations.

Images: Courtesy of Enda and Dale Arden Chong