While handbags are the main focus of vegan luxury company Goldrad, Alex Donath, a cofounder of the business, knows that it’s all about the big picture. She started out in music journalism and wrote for various lifestyle and culture magazines, but she later became a fashion public relations manager and has worked for many well-known designers. From foods to fashion, she immerses herself in the vegan lifestyle and uses her knowledge to share the animal-welfare message through her high-end bags.
For the latest installment of PETA Prime’s series on compassionate CEOs, Donath answered our questions about the company and shared her opinions on the future of cruelty-free businesses.
Why do you think it’s important to provide vegan versions of products?
We’re creatures of habit, especially when it comes to food. Most vegans—myself included—loved meat at one point, and if certain foods are being recreated in vegan versions, that’s fantastic, especially for people who are thinking about going vegan but are still unsure about finding vegan versions of their favorite things. It’s comforting to find vegan versions of foods you once loved before learning about the cruelty involved.
I’m very thrilled, because in the past couple of years, there have been so many new, wonderful vegan products introduced to the market. In the U.S., the variety and quality are still much better than where I live in Switzerland. But the quality of vegan products seems to be evolving. That’s really needed. Consumers—both vegan and omnivore—are trying the vegan options they find in the supermarket, and therefore, it’s essential that they taste good so that they’ll buy them again. A lot of people want their comfort food—foods they grew up with—and if there are vegan options that taste familiar, they will buy them again and tell their friends. And yes, the purchase of one pack of tofu or seitan chicken nuggets means one less animal product sold. We’re excited to see a growing demand for vegan products that will change the entire food industry, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Which of your products are you most excited to share with others?
The collection has a great variety of styles, but I’m particularly excited about two of our bags. The first is the Phoenix Superstar Evening Bag. I love this clutch. It’s the perfect purse for a night out, and when I designed it, I made sure it had a decent size with multiple compartments and two zipper pockets inside—perfect for makeup and cards. The second bag is definitely the Dallas Superstar Flap Bag. It doesn’t look like it, but it’s extremely roomy (it even can hold an iPad) and gives even the most casual outfit an upscale and super-cool look.
How have consumers and retailers embraced your product range?
Our products have gotten fantastic reviews! People love the quality of the bags and the vegan materials we’re using. The material used for the python-patterned bags, as well as the fake leather, has a suede-like feel, without the cruelty of leather made from cows, snakes, and other animals. You can’t tell the difference from real leather. We have customers who usually buy expensive lifestyle brands, and just a couple of days ago, I got an e-mail from one of our VIP customers that said how sensationally and wonderfully presented the bags are—from the box to the paper—and that we have the most stylish bags ever. She has so many LV bags, but compared to our packaging and presentation, they’re nothing. That was so fantastic to hear, and it’s so great to see that even people who are used to buying in the high-end “luxury” sector are thrilled with our products. At the moment, we only have handbags for women, although we look forward to releasing fantastic accessories for men in the future (hopefully, as soon as my husband has some fantastic ideas for great men’s accessories). Our bucket bags are wonderful for a shopping trip in the city and great for mothers. You can throw everything you need in them, from diapers to milk bottles and stuffed animals.
What do you think will be the most exciting vegan fashion trend in the next year?
One of the biggest and most needed fashion trends is already here: the faux-fur coat. The brand Pelush makes an incredible faux-fur coat collection, and I think it absolutely has the right concept there. I love everything it does, and since winter is not really that far away, I hope to see much more of its coats and jackets for the upcoming season. I’m really hoping for more vegan leather options in cars. I’m a huge car fan (it’s my German roots, and the faster the better), and I know that almost all the major brands are working on these options—but especially for the luxury cars, I know that there’s definitely a high demand. I believe that especially premium car brands will start using more and more vegan options for their models.
How do you share your compassion for animals with those who aren’t so animal-friendly?
I usually have no patience for people who don’t care about animals, and I say this pretty bluntly to their faces. So there will be no discussion with me. But actually, these people are also quite important, especially when it comes to fashion. And with our products, this is basically what we do—we share our compassion for the animals with exactly those people who don’t care so much by presenting them with a luxurious, handcrafted lifestyle product that is cruelty-free.
We have especially and consciously created products that don’t necessarily cater to vegans in the first place but more to people who like to wear expensive brands and don’t necessarily care about how many animals die for their lovely looking items. I worked in the high-fashion industry, and I saw how people bought alligator bags for $15,000 like it was nothing. A lot of these people just buy those items because they want the most expensive purse they can rub into their friends’ faces. It would be great if you could change their minds by just throwing pictures of lambs or videos with skinned-alive alligators at them. For some, it works—at least until they hit the next designer shop on Rodeo Drive—but others will still buy ridiculously expensive items made from animal skin. It’s important to help undermine these buying patterns by creating vegan luxury items. Stella McCartney has been doing that for a while, and it works great. This all needs to change. I believe if there are more high-end options coming from real vegan businesses like ours and people continue to buy them, the big brands will switch to using more cruelty-free materials—and this is our mission. We do think the luxury sector is especially important, because every bag that people buy from us means fewer dead animals—and one more person on the street demonstrating that there’s no need for animal products.
Any advice for someone wanting to start a vegan business?
Just be patient. It will take a while to figure out everything, as there are so many steps and things to consider. Everything will fall into place along the way. There will be setbacks, but don’t let anything or anybody discourage you. I believe that in the end, good ideas will always find their way—even if it takes some time.
