What is Vegan Design?

Not too long ago we sat down with Deborah Dimare to ask her just that. She is one of the top (if not the most) well known Vegan Designer in the world. Her company, VeganDesign.org can be seen almost everywhere you look.

So, what is Vegan Design?

We all know how relevant the word vegan is in the modern day culture of diet and health, but when it comes to design, we are likely unaware of the unfortunate effects.

“Education is power. You have to understand things in order to make decisions. To me, vegan design is not compromising or sacrificing animals for design. 1 billion animals are killed annually for their skins, and not one of them is killed humanely,” she says.

For more on that, watch this video.

How Did Your Vegan Design Journey Begin?

“I became a vegan designer because I love animals so very much.” Originally, Deborah designed traditionally for many years. She said, “Here I was on the board of Farm Sanctuary while also involved with all of these other animal rights organizations, and yet I was selling my clients leather, wool, silk, feathers, and crocodile.”

She, like many of us, was unaware of what was going on. “And then one day I saw a video on dog leather. I mean I think about it and I want to cry. That video affected me so much. I said that’s it, I am not using anything animal based anymore. Nothing!” Deborah is now thrilled to say that her current home in Miami, Florida is 100% cruelty free. She encourages her clients to be very mindful about what they put in their homes as well.

How Can We Begin Incorporating Cruelty Free Products In Our Own Homes?

Deborah first recommends visiting her website, VeganDesign.org. “It was founded really for education. We have a tip sheet, newsletters, and articles. I make everything very simple.”

Next, she says to pick 5 things in your home that you want to switch out. “I think the best place to start is the bedroom. Our bedroom is the most important place for us regarding our health. We spend a third of our lives there and if we spend that time breathing in chemicals, it’s really unhealthy.”

Although leather seems to be the only product in question when talking about vegan design, that is just the beginning. From animal derived chemicals in our day to day products to wool fibers in blankets and pillows, the list goes on. If you want to learn more about vegan design or even shop brands that carry cruelty free products, browse Deborah's certified brand list here.