We caught up with Annick Ireland, the Founder and CEO of Immaculate Vegan to ask her a few questions on how she balances her well-being and work and on vegan fashion!
Immaculate Vegan is a curated shop for living ethically, where you can find anything from beauty and clothing to homeware and gifts - and yes... you can shop Reflexone on Immaculate Vegan too!
What's your favourite quote?
“I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.” – Niccolo Machiavelli
How do you stay motivated?
I try to surround myself with people with the same values and motivations – which includes the wonderful team we have at Immaculate Vegan. And also spend time on other things in order to keep perspective.
What do you do to switch off and keep a work-life balance?
Honestly this is actually very hard, because when you’re running a start-up with a tiny team, the reality is there’s always a ton of stuff to do, most of it urgent, and it’s hard to take time out or switch off. However I do try to incorporate exercise into my routine most days, plus some meditation. And I try to walk everywhere I can.
How do you like to stay active?
I love yoga, running and walking. I’ve also recently started ice-skating (which I hadn’t done since I was a little kid) which is so much fun!
How did you start your vegan lifestyle?
I became vegan in 2016 after adopting a greyhound from the Retired Greyhound Trust and making the connection between the pets we love and all other animals; and I decided to change my career and start Immaculate Vegan a couple of years later – I’ve never looked back!
What inspired you to create Immaculate Vegan?
I became vegan a few years ago and initially found it difficult to find beautiful, high quality fashion that was also vegan and sustainable. After a lot of time spent researching brands on the internet and social media, I found that there were actually many fashion-forward vegan brands, but they were hard to find – so I started Immaculate Vegan as an Instagram blog in order to curate and share the best vegan fashion I could find, to help others looking for ethical and sustainable alternatives – and to elevate the profile of vegan fashion and show people you can be vegan and stylish too.
What do you see for the future of vegan fashion?
I think it’s very exciting! We’ve already seen a real revolution taking place in plant-based eating, fuelled by ever increasing concerns about the environment, animal welfare and human health – and COVID has only accelerated it. Vegan fashion and lifestyle is poised to be the next revolution, but it’s actually already begun. The global vegan women’s fashion market size is anticipated to reach USD 1,095.6 billion by 2027, with an average annual growth rate of 13.6%, outpacing even vegan food growth. In order to meet that growing demand, we see new brands are launching every week, showcasing collections that make use of innovative alternatives to leather, wool, silk, fur, down and other animal products – from footwear, bags and accessories to clothing and homewares. So we are really excited to be right at the centre of this!
