Becky Striepe
Vegan fashion is not always eco-friendly, so I’m always excited to run across a company that offers vegan clothing that’s cute to boot! Ecolissa definitely fits the bill.
What Is Veganism?
A vegan lifestyle is about more than food. Vegans don’t use or wear any animal products. That means no leather, no fur, no feathers or shells. While many folks go vegan for environmental reasons, that’s not the underlying tenet of veganism. It’s about living a cruelty free lifestyle – skipping products made from animals or tested on animals. A good example of a vegan material that’s not eco-friendly is vinyl. Sure, you didn’t kill a cow, but vinyl is a petroleum product and not so hot for the planet.
Just like anyone looking for eco-friendly fashion, vegans normally have to do a little bit of work to make sure that their clothes don’t just look good but are cruelty free and kind to the planet.
Vegan Fashion at Ecolissa
Ecolissa makes finding cute, vegan, eco-friendly clothes easy! Their online boutique offers popular vegan brands like Mata Traders, Second Eco Denim, Zen Essentials and Ecoskin. Owner Melissa Dion says:
My goal has always been to open a women’s clothing store. I became a vegetarian Jan 2008 and since have worked on becoming vegan. I wanted my wardrobe to reflect my diet (and morals) so I got rid of all my leather, wool, etc. But I noticed that a lot of my new vegan options were not environmentally friendly. They were usually polyester or vinyl. That did not make sense to me; I didn’t want to save animals at the expense of the planet. So I did some research and found products that are both eco friendly and vegan!
Fair labor is another important issue when you’re clothes shopping. Clothing made in a sweatshop is far from cruelty free, after all, right? I was glad to hear that their clothing is “made locally or are fair trade.” The company is also working on community outreach with a fashion show to raise money for Dress for Success Worcester. Dion says, “We hope to hold many more events like this in the future!”
Pretty cool, right? Who doesn’t love cruelty free fashions from a company that gives back? You can check out Ecolissa’s online shop to see more!
