Meatless Movement recently had the privilege of engaging in a conversation with Susanna Cates, the remarkable Founder and CEO of Urban Originals, a renowned brand dedicated to crafting cruelty-free accessories.
Susanna, a lifelong vegan, has not only exported her vegan bags worldwide but has also established Urban Originals with a vision to merge ethical production practices with cutting-edge fashion. Since its inception in 2000 on the northern beaches, Urban Originals has strived to curate an exquisite collection of contemporary accessories that are not only essential but also aligned with the values of compassion and sustainability.
Susanna is from the Northern Beaches of Sydney who recently moved to the Gold Coast with her family. Susanna, a mother to four teenagers – two daughters and two sons – has instilled in them the values of vegetarianism, with all of them embracing this lifestyle choice.
Their household is devoid of cow milk, instead opting for a refrigerator stocked with various plant-based alternatives, including their homemade almond and coconut milk. Susanna’s decision to adopt a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle is rooted in her pursuit of a healthy way of living and her desire to avoid supporting the distressing meat industry.
Throughout her life, she has fluctuated between being a vegetarian and a vegan, firmly believing in the numerous health benefits that come with a plant-based diet.
Through our conversation, we delved into the journey of Urban Originals, its mission, and Susanna’s unwavering commitment to creating a positive impact in the world of fashion.
Tell us more about yourself, please
I’m from Northern Beaches in Sydney, however we recently moved to the Gold Coast as a family. I have four teenagers 2 daughters and 2 sons, all who are vegetarian. None of us drink cow milk so we always have a refrigerator full of various plant based milks. We also make our own almond and coconut milk.
I have always been vegetarian or vegan to varying degrees and have four vegetarian teenagers and a vegetarian husband. I love being vegetarian. I feel healthy and have loads of energy. I have watched Conspiracy and Earthlings and don’t want to contribute to this sorrow filled industry. I think everyone especially older children need to see these movies to truly understand where their food is coming from.
My husband became a vegetarian after watching the Game Changers. Being mostly vegan for around 6 years I asked him what was different for him and he said ‘he just feels awesome’. So much healthier since he gave up meat. We all switched to plant based milks about 10 years ago and now very rarely get colds or sick at all. I’m feel like this made a real difference to our health as a family.
What are some of your memorable experiences with food, particularly with regards to your vegan or vegetarian diet?
I have had a few funny experiences in China, especially with Yum Cha. A manufacturer took me to lunch and kept bringing plates of chicken legs and other various meats over to the table – I didn’t want to be rude so I put them in my handbag every time he looked away. In the end they kept coming faster as he thought I loved them. Needless to say my handbag was ruined. When we travel the first thing we learn to say in any language is ’no meat’. In Chinese it is méiyǒu ròu (没有肉).
I eat at a few Buddhist restaurants in China as they are vegetarian and we get to try new dishes like Sea Grapes.
I also remember my daughter coming home from a play date when she was about 5 telling me she ate a ham sandwich with no understanding that ham was meat as we had never discussed it. She had never heard the word ham. She was upset as she didn’t realise people ate animals.
When we eat out at friends houses we always remind them we are vegetarian and I often offer to bring a dish. Most people eat a lot of vegetarian food without being aware of it. Occasionally it really throws people and they really have no idea what to cook for you so I will suggest salads and bring the main dish.
How do you feel about being a vegan/vegetarian?
Thankful, that I was raised vegetarian. The China Study shows that vegetarians live many years longer and have less health problems than meat eaters. We have an incredibly healthy family. One of my daughters at 12 years old asked if I could take her to the Doctor as she would like to see what goes on there. She had no memory of ever visiting the doctor as she had never really been ill.
How would you tell someone who’s not yet vegan/vegetarian to try meatless food?
Probably start by going to a vegetarians home or to a vegetarian restaurant. We eat such a wonderful variety of food. It may take a little longer to prepare but the end result is a lot of variation, a lot of herbs and spices. Even take one dish you eat all the time and replace the meat with a substitute meat. We often eat vegetarian duck pancakes or vegetarian chicken tacos or cauliflower buffalo wings. We eat a lot of vegetables and often try new things. Baked Jersalem artichokes are a favourite when they are in season. We are adventurous with our vegetables.
There are loads of great vegetarian cookbooks now days so buy a cookbook or go to the library and get a few until you find one you want to buy.
I like BOSH also Annabel Crabb, Ottolenghi, The Moosewood Range of Books although they have no pictures and on my wish list is the Phaidon The Mexican Vegetarian Cookbook. Many of these authors also have websites full of great vegetarian recipes also.
We go to the Sydney Vegan markets to have an abundance of choice. They even have Vegan Gozleme there. It is a really fun day out.
Who needs meat when you can have plant-powered protein and a Vitamix on the go?”
UO – 100% Cruelty Free Bags
At the New Shanghai we love the Green Beans (minus the shrimp), we also love the vegetarian dumplings and Yangzhou fried rice (minus the meat), the salt and pepper tofu. My kids really like the vegan pizzas at Crust – Peri Peri Not Chicken. We don’t eat a lot of the vegetarian meats unless we go to the Vegan restaurants in Cabramatta which are awesome and worth a visit or we buy Sayur Vegan Peking Duck or Lamyong Vegetarian Spicy Lemon Chicken. These are available at Chinese Super markets or online. For sausages we like the Sanitarium Hot Dogs or Veggie Roast.
We went to ‘Cruelty-Free and Killing It’ a restaurant on the Gold Coast the other day and it was really good. We had their Vegan Caesar Salad with kale and Cauliflower Wings. We also like Smith and Daughters when we visit Melbourne.
Who says vegetarians can’t be strong and healthy? Our boys are over 6ft tall and play a lot of sports
UO – 100% Cruelty Free Bags
A misconception is that vegetarian food is dull. My husband became vegetarian after years of eating meat and thinks the vegetarian food is a lot better.
Another misconception is that we don’t get enough protein or iron. I personally have never had an issue with that. Other misconceptions about being vegetarian is that the kids won’t grow or be healthy – both my boys are over 6ft tall and strong healthy boys and play a lot of sport. People don’t seem to realise the strongest animals on the planet get their protein from plants. A lot of athletes are vegans or vegetarians also.
For breakfast our kids have plant protein smoothies with hemp seeds, almond milk and banana and it keeps them full all morning. We love our Vitamix as we drink spinach smoothies and a lot of veggie juices also. I often feel like packing it in my bag when we travel as we use it so much.
To someone who’s just beginning to go meatless, what is your advice?
Not all vegetarian meats and tofus are alike. Some are really not good – don’t let that turn you off being meatless. Try new recipes for vegetables as there are awesome ways to make vegetables delicious with the right seasonings. Start your children being meat free early so they can enjoy veggies. My kids will power through any kind of vege dish and come back for more as it’s what they know. There are loads of good recipes on instagram. I like Earthy Andy and have her cookbook. Her hemp seed rice krispies are awesome.
We eat mostly vegan at home however I wouldn’t put our children down as vegan on a school camp form as sometimes the word vegan seems to generate really weird foods with no nutritional value. So I say vegetarian with soy milk and send a lot of healthy snacks.
Be fashionable AND make a difference🌱
Urban Originals
OUR STORY
WE ARE A 100% CRUELTY-FREE BRAND
We create drop-dead gorgeous bags that are uber practical. We don’t use any animal leather in our designs. We have taken a stand against animal cruelty and the leather industry and its impact on animals, people and our planet. We only use materials that are cruelty free.
While we are passionate about fashion and design, we also care deeply about the world we live in. For this reason, we’ve worked hard to make Urban Originals as environmentally and ethically responsible as possible.
We use the finest quality vegan leathers and recycled materials where possible and we work to very low chemical requirements. So when you buy Urban Originals, you can feel as good as you look.
We believe that the future of fashion should be ethical and sustainable. We ensure all our products are made in fair trade conditions and have passed Department Store and Industry ethical standards.
Urban Originals designs can now be found in boutiques across Australia, the United States, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and the UK.
Cruelty-free is at our core; we say no to any suffering
Urban Originals
Our products are designed in Australia, however we are now based out of both Sydney and Los Angeles.
We also proudly donate 10% of our profits to causes for human rights. Close to our heart is the issue of slavery and human trafficking in our modern world. There are more slaves across the world than ever before.
According to the United Nations, 46 million people are in slavery worldwide and more than 10 million of these are children. As part of our social responsibility program we donate to organisations to help prevent human trafficking and to help free these slaves.
Visit uo.com.au for gorgeous sustainable, vegan handbags and accessories.
urbanoriginals
UO – 100% Cruelty Free Bags
Brand
Be fashionable AND make a difference🌱
•Cruelty free vegan bags made ethically
•Vegan leather & recycled materials👜
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all images courtesy of urbanoriginals