Vegardi, much more than just a store of vegan bags and accessories
We meet Yulia, founder of Vegardi.
1) WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO SPECIALIZE IN VEGAN FASHION?
It all started with some situations that ever so slightly awakened my consciousness. For example, once I saw some cute loafers. They were nice to the touch until I discovered they were made of pony leather… At that moment something clicked inside of me, although I was not vegan yet. Everyone around me was saying that real leather is a higher quality material and that it’s more prestigious to wear, but then I realized that "natural leather" is the skin ripped from dead animals and, when that happened, my attitude towards it was no longer the same. Unfortunately, at that time (6 years ago) the non-leather products that you could find in traditional stores were mostly non-breathable, hard and tight to wear and were very low quality. I though that something better must have been invented in the 21st century and continued my search... So I found a brand with cannabis shoes, but their products were not at all in line with my style... It was sad that vegan, style and quality were not combined in any brand... Until one day I found a couple of young brands of vegan leather shoes made in Portugal. They worked great, they had a basic collection that fits any wardrobe. Through this quest, I became vegan and that's when my journey to vegan fashion began. It inspired me to share my experience with the world, support those brands and make those vegan leather products easier to find ;)
2) WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES YOU FACE?
The problem is that people still believe that real leather equals to true quality. As I mentioned above, artificial leather used to leave much to be desired, and because of that I get why it is so hard for people to understand that now They can find Products that are made with super high-quality and environmentally friendly materials and that are not at all inferior in their properties to natural leather.
There are other customers for whom it’s not easy to understand the cost of these products and why it’s absolutely justified. They should keep in mind, though, that traditional, non-sustainable products would be extremely more expensive if the environmental costs were taken into account and actually paid for.
In most cases, the price of sustainable products is more than fair because their production is limited, and ethically made respecting the workers’ conditions. Furthermore, these are really high-quality items that I like to call “an investment in your wardrobe”, because they will delight you for several years.
3) WHY IS CANUSSA AT VEGARDI
Above all, I absolutely love Canussa for their philosophy and for their careful selection of materials, for every tree planted and for every bag with inner fabric made from recycled plastic bottles.
I was very happy to meet Maria, I saw her as a very sincere and genuine person. It's a real thrill to sell such stunning products while supporting an ethical vegan brand run by great people.
I saw the transparency of the production process, the simplicity, beauty and convenience of the products. I love that Canussa has casual models. They will not go out of fashion for many years and they are easy to combine with any style. I also love their multifunctional models. I like to choose items that are as multifunctional as possible for my customers as much as I do it for myself.