Vikki Lenola is an inspirational figure in the fashion industry, as she is the producer of The Vegan Fashion Show. This event has become a popular platform for showcasing vegan-friendly fashion, with the aim of promoting fashion that is better for people, animals, and the planet. Vikki has been a strong advocate of vegan fashion, and has been instrumental in helping to bring this concept to the mainstream. She has been a leader in this movement, and her work has been a major factor in the success of the show.
Meatless Movement recently had a chat with Vikki.
She told us that each day she would take some time to make the connection between consumerism (food, fashion, and more) and the poor innocent animals that are exploited for it behind closed curtains. The animals are living a real life nightmare. It’s so horrific that it is hidden from the public.
Please tell us more about yourself
Animals are my “why” as an activist
Vikki Lenola
I’m a model/ influencer and an animal rights activist. I’m the executive producer of The Vegan Fashion Show, a charitable and educational event. All proceeds from our event benefit Animal Justice, the organization leading the legal fight for animal protection in Canada. Our second event will be this November in Toronto. You can be a guest in-person but we are also selling tickets online as well and those small priced ticket sales will be donated too.
Compassion is always in fashion ♡
Vikki Lenola
Besides being a platform for vegan fashion on the catwalk, it’s a perfect time of year for local vegan vendors to set up at our holiday marketplace. We also have speakers, live music performances, creative dance, educational components, raffle prizes, photo op, and more for guests to enjoy!
I also have my public relations agency, Lenola PR. I get my clients’ stories and images in press. I mostly help models, musicians, fashion types and business types. I generally like to start people with lower hanging fruit and work our way up, but it depends on how ready they are with their branding and what they’ve done.
I can and do land them in major publications including the world’s top tabloids like The Sun or In Touch Weekly, top business publications like Forbes, top fashion publications like Harper’s Bazaar, and top glamour model magazines like Playboy, to name just a few. I also get long term clients verified on social media the legitimate way.
As far as where I’m located, I am actually based about an hour or two West of Toronto, Canada. Most people assume I’m in LA. There are even some websites that have made up information about me saying I live there. In all fairness it’s a good guess… LA is my kind of vibes.
Why go vegan?
It took me a long time to transition to a fully vegan diet and I don’t have an exact date, but maybe 6 or so years now?
I didn’t have internet until a bit later than many of my peers. It was in 2009. I saw an ad by PETA about animals being skinned alive. I also saw another video (I’m not sure from where) about massive amounts of pigs being buried alive; I heard their screams of terror and it was bone chilling. Some people who buried them actually committed suicide after because they could not live with themselves.
I remember feeling angry that these things were hidden from me all of my life. I was so upset this suffering was going on in the world. I could not continue living my life the same after that. I felt compelled to do something about it. I didn’t know what.
This was years before I had any social media and years before I had my life together. It would take a long time still for me to go vegan and become an animal rights activist. I was in school for business and after that I had my own brand of bridal veil and accessories as the exclusive supplier at a bridal boutique. I decided to make my brand a PETA business partner.
I started university in 2012 taking environmental studies. I chose that program because I saw a brochure that said “do you want to make a difference?”, and I thought to myself yes! Yes I do, but don’t know how so this seems perfect for me.
In 2014 I started a Facebook account to start promoting my brand. I think my life changed quickly at that time. A new friend invited me to my first fashion week and that’s how I got into modelling. I also started joining groups because I was interested in helping animals. I found all these resources and I just loved it. I kept growing my network rapidly, both for modelling and animal rights. I started joining fur protests.
It wasn’t until I had participated a few times that I realized I was a hypocrite still eating animals. For meat I cut pig out of my diet first. Then beef. Then chicken. Then there was an awkward stage where I was thinking ok so I just eat fish now, maybe I’ll see what else I can have that’s not pig, cow, or chicken. I was at the farmer’s market with a friend and I decided to buy rabbit. I remember when I opened the package, it still looked like a rabbit and I just basically cried. There was barely any meat on it and I had paid someone to kill this poor animal for a measly few bites.
So then there was just fish left which took a while. I cooked some smelly fish one day and that was it. Chocolate I still messed up with once in a while after that. I didn’t know where to get alternatives at first. Now I know. I’m so thankful for all of these amazing brands offering alternatives. Also for all of these social media accounts and publications sharing vegan news and tips to help people make informed, compassionate choices. That includes Meatless Movement!
To someone who’s just beginning to go meatless, what is your advice?
Each day I take some time to make the connection between consumerism (food, fashion, and more) and the poor innocent animals that are exploited for it behind closed curtains.
Vikki Lenola
I think like many vegans, my only regret is not doing it sooner. I have never felt healthier or stronger. I am also glad I don’t have to fight against my own morals every time I go to eat.
I would recommend following vegan news accounts as well as vegan recipe accounts on social media for inspiration. There are so endless, yummy recipes out there.
When eating out you can Google search vegan places in your area. Many places have a vegan menu or are vegan-friendly too, and those places I find great when dining with friends who still eat meat. I like to show them how good my food looks.
If you do not want to contribute to their lifelong, needless suffering, always look for animal-free/ vegan/ cruelty-free options when making a purchase. There are so many alternatives these days.
Vikki Lenola
There’s also a site called Happy Cow that has lots of review on vegan-friendly restaurants. Joining local vegan Facebook groups can be super supportive – I would almost say essential. If it’s completely new to you, you’re going to want some sort of community that knows what it’s like in your area. If there isn’t a Facebook group for your area you can join one as near to you as possible or for your country, and there are worldwide ones too. You can post questions and get inspired by others, it’s great.
Support nonprofits by joining their newsletters, following their social media, if you can volunteer your time or donate, or share their social media posts and talk about their work with friends. Check out documentaries like Cowspiracy, Dominion, Hogwood, Slay, What the Health, End of Medicine, Seaspiracy, and Earthlings. Going to vegan festivals and events is fun. It’s actually a really interesting time to be going vegan with all of the options out there! Have fun with it. It’s a joy.
Vikki Lenola
Model and animal rights activist 🌱
Business + Environmental Studies 🎓
Producer: @theveganfashionshow
Owner: @lenolapr
all images courtesy of Vikki Lenola