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The Clement Twins: Nine year old Instagram Influencers
Can you remember what it was like to be nine? If I recall correctly my days were filled with watching CBBC whilst trying to dodge doing my homework. What about you? Were you an influencer who was signed to several modelling agencies as well as collaborating with loads of major companies? Nope? Don’t worry me neither. I was too busy catching up with Tracy Beaker and learning my spellings. But whilst most of us can’t even say we are successful influencers as an adult, let alone at the age of 9, this is not the case for the Clements Twins, who have soared to stardom over the last couple of…
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Vegan fashion is here to slay
Words by Rachel LamarcheInstagram // Twitter // Web Rachel Lamarche M.A. is a Doctoral student within the RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles examining the relationship between Veganism and Fashion. Rachel is also the founder of the Vegan Women’s Collective and hosts its eponymous podcast on which she interviews entrepreneurs and activists. One would have to be living under a rock not to notice the recent explosion in the release and uptake of fashion products with vegan certifications. Google trends reflect that the interest in ‘veganism’ increased seven-fold in the five years between 2014 and 2019. In May 2019, it was also estimated by UK food retailer Sainsbury’s in its ‘Future of…
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What’s new with vegan fashion?
Words by Olivia Penn I’ve been in the vegan scene since 2015. Things have changed a lot since then. With veganism growing substantially it is becoming easier than ever to live a vegan lifestyle. I’ve also changed a lot since then. Particularly regarding fashion. I’ve become more conscious about how I choose to dress and I have tried to minimise my effect on the environment. But back in 2015 when I first went vegan I remember really having no trouble at all trying to find vegan footwear. My go-to shops were the likes of New Look, Topshop and River Island, all of which had plenty of vegan footwear on offer;…
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Vegan Fashion: Draw your own line
Words by Karen Bryony Rose The Mainstream It’s safe to say that veganism is no longer niche. Gone are the times when buying vegan food involved trips to obscure shops, where even then the range was limited. These days supermarket shelves are full of plant-based fare and vegan-friendly alternatives. Although I don’t follow a fully vegan diet, there are days when I realise that all of my meals have been vegan without really trying. It seems easy to do since I enjoy cooking with plant-based ingredients. Where vegan fashion is concerned, however, it’s safe to say that many brands have been slower on the uptake. And personally, vegan-friendly fashion hasn’t…
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A case for vegan fast fashion?
Without a doubt, the rise of vegan fashion is huge. Major brands, such as Gucci, Versace and Chanel, have pledged to no longer use real fur. This contributed to the drop-in sales of women’s fur by 41% in the UK alone, in 2018. Personally, I have never owned real fur, or real leather products. Aside from how expensive they are, I was always fully aware that they were made from animals and that to me never felt right. In terms of faux fur and leather, of course I think these are much better, and ethical, than killing animals. However, as I’ve began to research into the industry further, I’ve realised…
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Stomp your way into sustainable fashion
We all love to feel like we’re doing our bit for the environment and for some, that means going vegan. However, while we put thought into what we put on our plates, do any of us stop to think about the things we wear? According to the Vegan Society, the UK launched more vegan products than any other nation in 2018, making it the biggest food trend of that year. And it continues to grow. Down every aisle of the supermarket, you see vegan alternatives. What once was one small shelf in the refrigerated aisle, now has a whole section to itself. It is estimated that the meat-free market in…
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Self-care is more than a face mask
Written by Shona Radcliffe // @shonaradcliffe Something that’s thrown around a lot nowadays is the notion of ‘self-care’. I’m sure you’ve seen the Twitter threads, the magazine articles and the Instagram stories of other people practising ‘self-care’, however this ritual is becoming more and more based on purchasing products under the illusion that they’re going to make you a better person, instead of actually building ourselves a better tomorrow. What we now consider to be self-care is actually a superficial, romanticised version of looking after ourselves, perpetuated by internet culture and the pressure to be constantly improving. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be working to change who we are,…
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Fast Fashion And Being Seen On Screen
Buy, snap, post, discard. Our consumer culture encourages incessant buying, and approval from peers via social media further incentivises our hunger for newness. For some of us it’s become the norm to be seen on screen only once wearing a new outfit. Fast fashion brands like ASOS and Pretty Little Thing have capitalised on this and their massive Instagram following is testament to their power. Buying in line with ultra-fast fashion trends has become the norm for some of us – after all, all our heroes are doing it, right? How many of us have watched our favourite influencers unveil their fashion ‘hauls’ – many of which cost hundreds of…
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Does Consumerism Really Make Us Happy?
Written by Chiara DellachàInstagram: @_slaveil_ // Web: https://slaveil.net Once upon a time people were proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities and sense of purpose. Once upon a time people looked for happiness in experiences, relationships and achievements. Some would even find it. Then consumerism happened. The sad truth is that consumerism has influenced us more than we think. Our consumer-self has become so powerful that it took over our human-self. ‘Uh-uh. No way. Sorry but I’m smarter than them, I don’t let advertising trick me into becoming a consumption-addict. I am a conscious buyer”. Then why is that whenever we’re faced with important social and political issues (like climate change, mental…
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Pressing Pause on Fashion
This year I’ve been travelling around and living abroad. As a result of having to live out of a suitcase, I’ve had to keep clothing purchases to a minimum. In fact, I actually went 6 months without making a new clothing purchase. In the fast fashion era we’re living in, going 6 months without a new purchase is quite unusual. I know many people can barely make it through a week without hitting the shops or the apps. It was definitely the longest I’d gone without buying new clothes. I was forced to live with the same limited amount of garments – about a quarter of my wardrobe. In there…
