What’s it all about?
Veganism is a lifestyle that impacts all areas of consumption, including fashion and textiles. As awareness increases through social media, activism and firsthand experience of climate change events, people are becoming more conscious of the impact of their individual decisions on the resources of the planet. This has allowed veganism to grow and become one of the largest consumer trends in the western world which goes hand in hand with the growth of the vegan fashion industry.
What will we cover?
We will first discuss what is and isn’t vegan in fashion including fibres and textiles. We will then talk about the product life cycle including dyes and chemicals, the dilemma behind the “ethical” label and discuss the much heated debate of leather vs pleather. We will finish by discussing second-hand fashion, exciting vegan and closed-loop innovations in the space of fibres and textiles, and ways to embrace a vegan and sustainable approach to clothing. Attendees will get to see and touch various innovative materials.
Who will be teaching?
Rachel Lamarche M.A. is a Doctoral student within the RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles examining the relationship between Veganism and Fashion. She is passionate about fibres and textile innovations and has both a bachelor’s degree in Fashion business from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a master’s degree in Arts management from RMIT University. She worked as a stylist in Montreal, Canada, and in public relations at luxury fashion house Stella McCartney in New York and Paris before moving to Australia in 2013. She is working on her own label, Lamarche Wearhouse, a brand of durable, ethical and vegan office wear for women. Rachel is also the founder of the Vegan Women’s Collective and produces their podcast on which she interviews inspiring vegan activists and entrepreneurs.