VEGAN Happy Clothing: The Brand They All Love

VEGAN Happy Clothing is fresh, new and uplifting – not only their spring/summer range, which we detail here, but also their inspirational founder Lorri Delahunty, who tells us all about her new found passion in life – VEGAN Happy Clothing.

The brand is very striking – what’s the thinking behind the name – VEGAN Happy?

We wanted to create a brand that had subtle vegan logos so you could spark the conversation wherever you went but without the large slogans and graphic images, so we knew the name had to include the word vegan in it somewhere, and happy as when we went vegan that is exactly how we felt. So happy we had made that connection and made the change.

Model: Nahlu Blos Instagram @nahlu__

Your own vegan journey had a striking moment – tell us about that, & why and when you went vegan

I went vegan when my Beagle Poppy had an accident late at night and I was at the vets at 1am parting with lots of money and profusely thanking the amazing vets for their work, drove home and literally went to take some food out of the freezer for dinner the next day… I picked chicken out of habit and it was like a lightbulb went on and I wondered why I was treating one animal so amazingly well and another with no care at all.

The next day, I started messaging some Facebook vegan acquaintances and said “I think I have gone vegan, what do I do, help!” and they gave me lots of great advice including a suggestion to watch ‘What the Health’, so by the time we had watched that for 5 minutes later that evening, my husband was fully vegan too.

Less than 24 hours to make a full change to two people who should have made the change 50 years earlier, so I know that you never know where that ‘go vegan seed’ or spark is going to come from, We just need to make sure we keep planting them and helping them grow in others.

How about sourcing vegan Tshirts, inks and processing?

We will be manufacturing our own clothes and are already looking in to our first items which is really exciting, but we didn’t have a huge financial backing when we started, we just started on a kitchen table with an idea and £1,000 for stock and to start up, so ethical sourcing was our way forward. We ethically source and particularly look for items that are

PETA Approved, Fair Wear, Fair Trade, or WRAP Certified. And our inks, embroidery and processing is all vegan too. We only use vegan materials in our transfers and our thread for the embroidery (which is most garments) is ethical thread so every aspect is carefully looked at.

The garments all have a personal touch on delivery – how important are your customers?

Our customers are EVERYTHING! We used to joke that we did a jig around the office when an order came in but we literally still feel like that. Every time an order pings in (we set up a special sound on our phone so we know) we smile and send them thanks. We often include free gifts and always include Thank You cards too. We know that each customer has a lot of choice so when they choose us, we feel hugely grateful and that spurs us on.

Lorri Delahunty, founder of VEGAN Happy Clothing

Why set up a clothing brand?

As mentioned, VEGAN Happy was set up around the kitchen table late one night as when I went vegan I wanted to tell the world but I couldn’t find the sort of clothes I wanted to wear. I still needed to go to meetings, work out in the gym, or head out for dinner, and I wanted to look really stylish but still give a nod to veganism but I really couldn’t find any clothes that fitted the bill that were also affordable. So I set about making a range that I would wear and I thought really filled a niche in the market, and of course, we wanted to raise as much money for animal rescue as possible too.

We say we donate 10% or more to animal rescue or sanctuaries but in fact it’s a lot more and is largely the reason that we didn’t take a penny out for the first 3 years as all the profit had already been given away! We love to support small sanctuaries and causes and ultimately it’s the goal to have a small sanctuary of our own.

Do you get people tell you about reactions when wearing your label in public?

We get a lot of amazing feedback, and pictures posted, of our clothes out in public and the fact that they do what we set out to do… to spark conversations wherever people might be about the benefits of veganism. We have had feedback from conversations on the top of a mountain down to in a supermarket or in the gym, and everything in-between. For me personally, I get stopped a lot in the supermarket or when walking the dog. I live in the country so I get more questions here than I ever did in a town about ‘how to go vegan’ or food advice in the supermarket. I love it! I always smile and wait for the question as I know this might be THE turning point for the person asking.

Our clothes are designed to be worn anywhere by anyone and recently we had someone message us about moving our logo inside our clothes but that’s missing the point for us really. Of course we are a clothing brand, but for us VEGAN Happy is our form of activism, our own vegan evangelism, designed to spark conversations and if the logo is inside that won’t happen.

Is mainstream ‘veganism’ too focused on diet?

I think diet and plant based eating is a great introduction to becoming fully vegan and the animals being the focus rather than the calories we consume. I know quite a few people who have gone plant based for the planet or for their health and that is incredible, but until it becomes about the animals you are not a vegan really. However, I really don’t mind if someone is vegan or plant based, I don’t mind if they have transitioned to plant based for dietary needs, as long as they are not consuming any animal products or causing harm to other living creatures. So perhaps we need to ditch the labels as it’s really not hugely important. We just need to all be more conscious about what we do and how it affects other living creatures, ANY other living creature. And I really do believe that anyone that does go plant based for diet or other reasons, they will become fully vegan as once you open that door it’s impossible not to go fully through and open your eyes to what is going on. Once you start to see the suffering, it’s impossible to turn back and helping animals and advocating for others to embrace veganism is your only focus.

Do you see an end to the terrible abuse of animals on the planet right now?

I think there is a lot of change right now towards that goal, and I do believe that every small change can help make a huge difference. I think the young generations that are coming through are angrier than ever before (thank you!), and more aware thanks to the internet and information sharing, and they will shake the world up before it’s too late and help put an end to animal suffering. I do believe every vegan can help with this, we all need to do our small part to make big change. But we need to make change faster. Even a global pandemic hasn’t made the world wake up to the fact that abuse of animals was the root cause.

How tough has lockdown been?

Lockdown has been a real mixed bag for me personally. Whilst business has been good and it’s given me more time to devote to it, personally I haven’t seen my son who lives in the US with his family, so there is a deep seated sadness that I just can’t shift. No matter how much more dog walking I do (my mood lifter) or how amazing my days might be, that sadness is there that I can’t see my son but hopefully this can change soon when international flights start again. But I am very aware that I have been very lucky throughout the crisis, and my heart goes out to everyone who hasn’t fared as well through this horrific time.

Plant Powered Planet editor Karin Ridgers sporting a VEGAN Happy hat (Twister Pom Pom) & Jacket (Urban Snow Bird)

What’s new on the horizon for VEGAN Happy?

Amazing news! VEGAN Happy has just launched in the USA! With postage rates going through the roof due to the pandemic, we found it so difficult to get items to the US at a reasonable rate so we set up in America so we could service our clients and grow our sales in that market more. We are still only a small brand and rely on amazing partners over there to help us make this happen, but it’s been a recent addition for us and very exciting! Go to veganhappyclothing.com to view the USA site, veganhappyclothing.co.uk for UK and Europe.

Also, we recently added a new recruit at VEGAN Happy who is looking after our digital marketing so we hope that by adding to the team, we can engage with our customers on social media much better.

What are you looking forward to most this summer?

Going to America! I just can’t wait to get on a plane to see my son and it’s my over-riding thought right now. As the world opens up again for everyone, there is a feeling of a huge sense of relief and joy, I can feel it. Out of the darkness I can feel sunshine.

But for VEGAN Happy, it’s more of the same (which we love!), more looking after our amazing customers and trying to add in the sort of clothes they want to wear and will feel and look good in.

And to be able to socialise again in the UK will be amazing! I absolutely LOVE the pub despite being teetotal, so I have hugely missed get togethers over a drink and the chance to offload and chat, which is something I think we all need.

For more information please visit:

www.veganhappyclothing.co.uk

or for US orders:

www.veganhappyclothing.com

About Lorri Delahunty

Lorri is the founder of VEGAN Happy Clothing and an eternal optimist who completely reinvented her life at 50! (why not?) Lorri is now teetotal (but loves the pub) and vegan, and this week also gave up sugar in all forms (crazy!) - Lorri loves a challenge. Lorri absolutely loves anything animal, anything family, loves smiling lots and generally strives to be happy and to live a calm life amidst the chaos. Lorri is 56 but amazingly feels 26!

Quick Quiz!

Favourite music?

Enjoying a bit of an 80’s throwback period right now, but my favourite song at the moment is ‘Sub Focus – Air I Breathe’ which is incredible and should be played very very loud!

Favourite film?

The original Blade Runner with Rutger Hauer

Favourite food?

Curry (in any shape or form)

Favourite Exercise?

Yoga (I love bohobeautiful.com), dog walking, and HIIT sessions with Joe Wicks ‘The Body Coach’, all great and low cost exercise as I live in the countryside with no gyms close by.

Favourite TV Show?

Watching ‘Strike’ right now and love binging box sets when I finally close my laptop at the end of the day.

Best Colour in your clothing range?

I love the new stem green colour in our new mix & match range, which is a gorgeous soft pastel green

Favoured form of relaxation?

When I get some off time, I love to cook and bake, continuing to discover amazing vegan recipes.

Vegan for...?

The animals always!

Advice for people yet to go vegan?

You think it’s a big leap to go vegan, but it’s the simplest step and the only regret you will have is not having done it sooner as it will change your life and nourish your soul in such immeasurable ways. Take the leap!

Motto in life?

“Why wait?” Don’t put off things, if you have an idea, start about trying to make it happen or your life will be full of regrets or “I wish I had…”, so don’t wait, set about making it happen. Write a list and take small steps.