Krže Studio: My New Cruelty-Free Fashion Obsession!
Today I ran around with my new “Claire” bag from Krže Studio, and it’s safe to say that I’m in love. I met the fabulous designer Leila at this year’s Genesis Awards, and within seconds I was hooked on her vision (and her!). All of her items currently in production are made in Italy out of the highest quality vegan materials available.
When I received this bag in the mail yesterday, the first thing I noticed was how soft it is! Unfortunately, I don’t know what else to compare it to other than calf skin (you know when you accidentally touch something in a store and you can immediately tell it came from a baby animal?). The second thing I noticed was the excellent craftsmanship that went into it. I feel 100% confident that I could travel the world with this bag (and abuse it like I normally do) and it would survive beautifully.
The high fashion industry is sadly a major contributor to unnecessary animal cruelty, so I believe it is very important to support new, cruelty-free, small businesses! Right now, you can shop the Summer Sale (and get 30% off of this bag!), but don’t forget to look out for the presale of the upcoming line, which should be launched no later than July 1st.
(also, the shoes I’m wearing are by another lovely vegan brand, Cri de Coeur!)
Don’t you love it when fashion doesn’t have to hurt animals or the planet?
“Just give me the next one you’re going to kill.”
A few months ago, I saw a story on Facebook about a friend who, after unexpectedly losing her father, sought out healing by visiting a local shelter. She decided to deal with her father’s death by giving the gift of life. She walked into her local high-kill shelter and said to the first employee she saw: “Just give me the next one you’re going to kill.”
The employee went back into the rows of cages and brought out a pit mix; he wasn’t aggressive, he wasn’t elderly, he wasn’t sick. He just wasn’t a puppy, he wasn’t a purebred, and his time was up. If this friend of mine hadn’t shown up, he would have died within the hour. His story isn’t unique, American shelters kill a pet every 10 seconds.
I understand that it’s not feasible for every person to walk into a shelter and commit to saving the next red-tagged animal. Many of us have to at least have some plan in mind for the size, age, and approximate breed of animal we want to adopt (yard space, free time for training, allergies, and building requirements are real life variables most people have to consider).
That said, it is not unreasonable to think that when bringing a new family member into the home, we can at least make an effort to adopt the less easily-adoptable angels: the elderly (it’s nearly impossible for a dog or cat more than 8-years-old to get out of a shelter alive), the disabled, the ones with personality issues (our rescue chihuahua Jimmy was rescued on his last day before euthanasia; his abusive former owner intentionally broke his front leg, so of course he was a biter; after some TLC he turned into the sweetest, most grateful little love bug), or the overlooked ones who, for no obvious reasons, have been in the shelter long enough to be approaching their euthanasia date.
The pups pictured here are currently stuck in the high-kill Orange County Animal Shelter, and were photographed by an incredible volunteer who posts beautiful photos of all adoptable OC dogs on her Facebook page. If you’re local to Southern California, please take a look. Far too many animals lose their lives behind those walls every day.
Please consider making room in your heart & home for an animal that may, if not for your action, lose their life very soon.
You could be their hero. They’re waiting for you, and hoping you see them.
I cannot wait until every person in the world is able to see this incredible new documentary, The Ghosts In Our Machine, which features the life, adventures, and struggles of (my hero) Jo-Anne McArthur, who dedicates her life to photographing reality on factory farms, “family” farms, and farm sanctuaries across the world. Her work is mind-blowing and the film is hauntingly beautiful.
Check out the trailer now at www.theghostsinourmachine.com, and follow their progress on Facebook for information & updates about screenings and distribution.
We eat a LOT of vegan burgers around here, so we’ve gotten pretty ridiculously good at it. Because we’ve had such success, I feel it’s only right to share my tips with the world. Here’s what we do:
First, marinade a package of Gardein beefless burgers in a mixture of apple cider vinegar, vegan Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, a dash of liquid smoke, diced shallots and a LOT of minced garlic for about two hours. Keep them on the counter so the frozen burgers can thaw.
Once the burgers are soft and juicy, use your hands to roll them into round balls (make sure you get some onion and garlic chunks in there!) and then flatten them out into patties. Grill (ideally) or sauté in olive oil (and, if you wish, additional Worcestershire sauce & liquid smoke).
My preferred toppings typically include vegan mayo, ketchup, mustard, red onions, cilantro (or basil, as shown here), tomato, and avocado. The cheesy sauce in my bottom photo has a Dairy Tree base (products launching soon!) with added cashew cream, Daiya cheddar shreds, and nutritional yeast.
It’s summer, get grillin’! And let me know what you think :)
On Sunday, I spent a very emotional morning at the 3rd annual National Animal Rights Day, during which we silently held animals who lost their lives due to human exploitation. I am still reeling from the experience, but I feel so honored to have been included.
I held a chicken who I named Clark. I promised him that his death was not in vain, and that his message would be shared. I am beyond grateful for the volunteers who made this happen- especially those who took on the devastating task of locating these poor deceased animals. I am also grateful for the hundreds of onlookers who I hope made the connection between the choices they make and the beautiful animals who suffer the consequences.
It absolutely breaks my heart to think of all the families torn apart by human gluttony. It’s ridiculous. We should be so much better than this. Please choose a cruelty-free lifestyle, for the mothers’ sake!
(Photo by my hero Jo-Anne McArthur for We Animals)
This Sunday, the 3rd annual National Animal Rights Day will be celebrated in both Los Angeles and New York!
In LA, we’ll be opening the event with a silent yet symbolic ceremony in which volunteers hold real animals that have died as a result of human exploitation. This will be first time in the US that such a ceremony has taken place, but powerful examples have already been carried out in many countries across the globe. The remainder of the afternoon will be filled with activities/events including a cruelty-free fashion show (that I will be modeling in!), free vegan food sampling, and inspirational talks from vegan activists, athletes, & artists.
Events like this are only as impactful as their attendance level, so please consider coming out in support if you live in either city!
More info can be found at www.thenard.org or on the Facebook event pages at: bit.ly/thenardLA (for Los Angeles) and bit.ly/thenardNYC (for New York).
I had way too much fun last weekend shooting my new Cri de Couer vegan wedges (paired with the Nasty Gal tiger caftan I bought a couple years ago in celebration of our successful campaign that got them to stop selling fur!) outside a tin-covered shack down the street!
It’s funny, before I was vegan I wasn’t a shoe girl at all. Maybe subconsciously I was bothered by all the shoe stores full of cow skins? Regardless, I’ve gone the complete opposite direction now, and I’ve become a liiiittle bit obsessed.
You can snag these babies (and a bunch of other cruelty-free fashion!) at the newly launched online vegan marketplace ForAnima!
