Hey guys! I am really excited to introduce a NEW, VEGAN clothing company that I am currently obsessed with. I had been following Amy and Aaron on instagram since I started instagramming. They are fellow vegans with a passion for animals and getting the word out about compassion plus the cutest instagram couple. And they are from the other side of the pond which I love as well. When I found out they were starting a clothing brand I got way excited, in fact I jumped right on the bandwagon and bought their first design to help support them. I was happy when they agreed to let me interview them about their new adventure in clothing: Blood Tight.
1. Why Blood Tight?
We are really passionate about being vegan and living a cruelty free lifestyle. "Blood Tight" is symbolic of the connection we feel with animals. It is so important for us to tell other people that you can live a cruelty free life and not 'miss out' as people so often assume. We are really proud of our lifestyle and our beliefs, but we are aware that people have certain preconceptions about the vegan lifestyle and everything that it entails, with that in mind we wanted to come up with a name that people wouldn't necessarily first associate with Vegan clothing. A lot of people ask about the name and feel they share an understanding when we explain it, we wanted it to be a symbol of the closeness we have with sentient beings. We want people to ask so that we can tell them how strongly we feel, and we really hope that people wear our clothing and feel proud to tell others about Veganism.
2. What do you see as the future of the brand?
At the moment we are really excited about creating new designs and finding out what people would like to see next, at Blood Tight we encourage customers to give us feedback and share their thoughts on up and coming designs. Which helps get a really key insight into what people want and also lets our customers know we are listening and we really care what they think. We feel like t-shirts are quite a universal canvas and allow everyone to wear our clothing. Recently we have created a tote bag that we really love and a lot of people do too, we are really close to releasing a vest design in time for summer and we have seen a lot of interest in that alone. Hopefully we will be able to branch into other areas of clothing really soon, like hoodies, hats, socks, and lots of other exciting goodies
4. Why did you become Vegan? What struggles do you have as Vegans? Do you ever miss any non-vegan foods?
We (Amy/Aaron) both met as vegans around 5 years ago after following a vegetarian diet for about a year, and have been following a strict vegan diet ever since. For both of us it was the same reason, we felt that living a lifestyle that left a trail of destruction just didn't make sense. There is no need to consume or use products that come from animals to be able to live a healthy and fulfilling life, and as soon as you become aware of the cruelty that is the meat, dairy and egg industry there is no other route than veganism. The only difficulties for us seem very trivial, like not being able to eat at various restaurants and sourcing products that are cruelty free. When you are passionate about living a certain way you don't mind checking everything for non-vegan ingredients, or being challenged about veganism or nutrition.
To be honest I don't know that there is anything that we miss, maybe in the beginning. But when you start to connect food with the harsh reality of what it is, it's no longer as easy to stomach.
5. What possessed you to start a clothing brand?
There aren't a lot of Vegan clothing brands out there, and so to be honest we just wanted to be able to wear clothing that we loved and that we were able to spread a really important message by wearing. Our aim is to make it appealing and affordable for everyone, which we hope we have done.
6. What is your favorite design so far in the collection?
In regards to our favourite, we love them all (so cliche we know!) but that is honestly how we feel. The first t-shirt will probably be as close to our favourite mainly because it was a way of showcasing our brand. We were hopeful that people would show interest and were so grateful that we got so much support from people wanting the shirt. We know though that our best designs/ concepts are still to come, we are constantly learning and growing as a brand and hope that people will continue to support us.
In regards to our favourite, we love them all (so cliche we know!) but that is honestly how we feel. The first t-shirt will probably be as close to our favourite mainly because it was a way of showcasing our brand. We were hopeful that people would show interest and were so grateful that we got so much support from people wanting the shirt. We know though that our best designs/ concepts are still to come, we are constantly learning and growing as a brand and hope that people will continue to support us.
Thanks again to Aaron and Amy for the opportunity to interview! I am really excited to share what is next with this company and will keep you updated. Check them out:
Blood Tight on Facebook
Blood tight on Instagram
Aaron on Instagram
Amy on Instagram
My Outfit: All thrifted except my Blood Tight Shirt and my Cushe Shoes!
Enter the Cushe Giveaway HERE.
