MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, January 11, 2007: Sleek and chic fashions are now options for the Vegan consumer in a big way in America. Defined as extreme vegetarians who strive for a diet and way of life that is noninjurious to both animals and the environment, directly or through the processing of materials like leather, wool or silk by this news release, several retail outlets are targeting this select group of potential clients. The article explains the reason for these blossoming businesses, “As of last year, there were an estimated 4.8 million vegetarians in the United States, one-third to one-half of them vegan, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group, a nonprofit educational organization. That number has nearly doubled since 1997. In a survey last year by Mintel International, a consumer research company, the company identified a health and eco-conscious population that has contributed most visibly to the growth of a $1.2 billion market for vegetarian goods (primarily dairy, egg, cheese, meat and poultry substitutes and tofu), one that jumped 63.5 percent between 2000 and 2005.”
Across the nation the news report adds, “National chains like Whole Foods; boutiques like MooShoes, a New York outlet for imitation-leather wallets, belts and bags; online stores like Pangea; and eco-minded labels like Moral Fiber, Real Fake, Novacas (no cows) and Matt & Nat are encouraging shoppers, even those merely flirting with a ‘cruelty free’ diet, to embrace its precepts not just in the kitchen but in their wardrobes.”
Robert Burke, a fashion retail consultant in New York, says, “People are more conscious today of what they’re wearing, why they’re wearing it and how it affects the environment.” Denise Mari, owner of Organic Avenue, adds, “At one time being vegan meant focusing on what you had to give up. Today we’re stepping beyond the mundane what-you-need-to-survive approach and concentrating instead on how to make this a fun lifestyle that other people can relate to.” Marcia Mogelonsky, a research analyst at Mintel, expounds on the movement, “College students are much more invested in a lifestyle that allows them to think nothing of wearing pleather (imitation leather). They have grown up on the three R’s: reduce, recycle, reuse. They are more likely to adopt vegan fashion, because unlike the baby boomers, to them it isn’t ‘weird.’ “