Today we’d like to introduce you to Vikki Lenola. Vikki and her team share their story with us below:
Vikki Lenola is a model/ influencer, animal rights activist, producer of The Vegan Fashion Show, and a PR agency owner.
Vikki holds an Environmental Studies degree from the University of Waterloo along with a business diploma from a private college. She followed this with an Effective Altruism fellowship at UCLA focusing on effective animal advocacy. Years ago, Vikki learned dress pattern drafting and sewing. She then created bridal headpieces and accessories by hand as an exclusive supplier for a bridal boutique in Cambridge, ON. Soon after she tried modelling instead and went on to work with hundreds of brands. She now runs a boutique public relations agency, Lenola PR. All of these experiences have helped Vikki understand the needs of brands and how to promote them. Having been an organizer for PETA, she realized many people were unaware of the ethical and environmental issues that come with exploiting animals for fashion… nor the alternatives available. A strong believer in offering a solution when pointing out a problem, Vikki found herself wanting to promote vegan fashion brands and innovative materials.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Although there has been a great amount of progress in animal rights, there is still a lot of work to do. When it comes to any type of social Justice issue/ goals I think it’s important to have clear strategies and use a theory of change. Yes, maybe you are one person, but you are working as part of a global team of other people who share your vision for a better world. Although we are small as individuals, when we work together like a colony of ants, we can make big moves! Connect with others, support each other, and figure out the most effective ways you can contribute. Also, maybe it sounds cliche, but I truly believe that knowledge is power – education has been so empowering for me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Vegan Fashion Show
I recently wrapped up producing The Vegan Fashion Show in Toronto. From our revenue, we were able to donate $6,105 to Animal Justice. We were able to do this from our ticket sales, designer, and vendor fees, as well as raffle prize tickets. A big part of the event’s success is thanks to the generous sponsors and partnerships. We have our presenting sponsor, Umano.org. They do incredible work and we’re so honored to have even been on their radar as an organization for them to support. They are also supporting a few other great projects around the world. Besides Umano, we must give a huge thanks to our cosmetics sponsor, Emily Alexandra cosmetics, other in-kind sponsors, and media partners. It’s because of their help we were able to save on costs and thus be able to make a donation. Many of these sponsorships and partnerships came from relationships I already had, and it’s a big reason why I knew I could be effective in producing a show like this in order to support animal rights. It was a fun evening of animal-free fashion on the runway from 5 different designers/ brands. We also had a few vendors including vegan food, lingerie and loungewear, handcrafted jewelry, and a talented fashion illustrator. The plant-based leather display featured next-gen, innovative materials that make excellent alternatives to animal-derived leather. The quality is amazing, and we provided information about why they’re so much better for the environment. There was also a speaker, live music, and a creative dance performer that closed up the night.
Lenola PR
My public relations agency is still new however I have been doing this on the side already for years. I have a big rolodex of contacts and land press features in everything from entry-level to top-tier press. I’ve landed my clients in Forbes, Yahoo, some the biggest tabloids in the world, Playboy, and much more. I specialize in helping models/ influencers, musicians, entrepreneurs, and also consider vegan lifestyle brands. There’s so much we can offer clients, but I think one big thing people want to work on is getting verified on Instagram (the legitimate way!), which I reserve for monthly retainer clients that I think are ready to start working towards it. Other popular requests include covers of magazines for models.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
The handbag in these photos are made from cactus leather by a Belgium brand called Amaré Antwerp. Their bags are handcrafted by artisans in Italy using innovative plant-based materials. I want to highlight this cactus leather material because it is so incredible! I have been able to see it in different colors from different brands (including from AVE Bags – one of the brands on the runway at The Vegan Fashion Show 2022). Cactus leather saves 164,650% of water compared to animal leather, and 190% compared to (PU) synthetic leather. It also saves 1,864.02% of carbon equivalent GHG emissions compared to animal leather, and 77.69% compared to (PU) synthetics leather. Source: Collective Fashion Justice.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theveganfashionshow.org www.lenolapr.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/vikkilenola
- PR agency: www.lenolapr.com
Image Credits
Mark Yaamon
Amaré Antwerp
