Four-day event Vegan Fashion Week (VFW) will debut in Los Angeles on February 1. Created by French animal-advocate Emmanuelle Rienda—founder of creative agency LE FRENCHLAB—the goal of VFW is to end animal exploitation in all forms by elevating vegan visionaries and educating fashion enthusiasts about the ethical, social, and environmental issues surrounding the use of animals in the industry. “I want to ignite conversations and debates within the industry by educating, elevating, and drawing connections between our most important values: our respect for human life, animal rights, and the environment,” Rienda said. VFW will open with a soirée inside of the Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles, where guests will be presented with a climate-centric speech by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Robert Lempert, a fashion runway showcasing vegan designers, a vegan capsule of high-end designer pieces, and a timeline displaying the evolution of vegan fashion. Between February 2 and February 3, guests will travel to the California Market Center in LA’s Fashion District to explore special exhibits, interact with vegan brands and designers, participate in panel discussions about critical issues in the fashion industry, and dine on vegan food specially prepared by culinarians from around the world. The theme of the inaugural event is “Facing Our Time” and topics of discussion during VFW will include animal rights, social justice, circularity, technology, and intersectionality. VFW will conclude with a private fundraiser with the mission to support established and emerging vegan designers in their efforts to end animal exploitation in the fashion industry. After its LA debut, Reinda will take the event to fashion-forward cities around the globe in an effort to make VFW the standard “fashion week” event in coming years.

Photo courtesy of Natasha Ribeiro-Austrich