“Since I was ten years old, I’ve been vegetarian (and went vegan at 18.) In fifth grade, our school held a Science Fair, and I chose factory farming as my topic. Learning about the cruelty for the sake of profit, as well as the environmental and health effects, I decided not to be a part of it. It’s an easy way for me to make a difference every day.

At the core, I consider myself an activist. In high school, I lobbied the administration to discontinue the dissection of cats in Biology class. It gained national support for an Illinois bill to pass into a law requiring dissection alternatives in all K-12 classrooms. Later, I went to DePaul for undergraduate work, and started an Animal Rights & Welfare organization there that worked closely with Chicago Animal Care, held student protests, and brought in nationally recognized speakers like Howard Lyman- fun fact- the man responsible for Lisa Simpson being veg (and yes, I DO believe you can win friends with salad.)”

-Vaute Couture designer Leanne Hilgart Meyer on why she chose to go VEG! We are so excited to announce that Leanne’s first flagship store will open later this year in Chicago’s Logan Square Neighborhood. Make sure you check out her entire line at VauteCouture.com and then visit her blog at OnOurSleeve.com. The entire VEGdaily team wishes Leanne tons of luck with her new store! We can’t wait to visit!