I am a FAKER!

Yep. I am. Fake stands for Fashion for Animal Kingdom & Entertainment. I attended one day of a two day event at LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) called F.A.K.E. Christmas. It was December 7th and 8th and I attended Sunday the 8th for an hour.

There were speakers and vendors. You could get your hair and makeup done with vegan products and get your picture taken. I had my makeup done by Johnny Concert.

The intent of FAKE is to encourage the use of vegan sources to make clothing from sustainable non-animal sources. To be a FAKER is to be “someone who wants to make a change by respecting animals, the planet and human rights.” To be a faker designer there is one condition, “having cruelty-free Fashion ethically made.”

I believe we all can take little steps to that end. Even if you are not a vegan looking for and exploring fashion options that help the planet and people live better is one way to help others. It can also be fun. Shopping.

This is not the first FAKE event so if you want to know more, see their website and check out the FAKE movement.

I actually have a health problem which is why I want to buy plant based fashion. I have a “yeast allergy.” This means that I get yeast infections really easy. So I have stopped wearing all polyester clothing. I have basically taken all my suits to good will. I no longer wear nylons or anything that may constrain my body. I went to this event to check out what clothing options they had to become familiar with what kinds of fabric I should be looking for and if their were options.

I ended up exploring a designer called LA Relaxed. I can not afford their fashions yet. But I did learn from them that they use four different kinds of plant based material. I thought Cotton was my only option. There are four fabrics in their designs- Tencel, Linen, Organic Cotton, and Modal. Tencel is made from Eucalyptus. Linen from the flax plant. The organic cotton LA Relaxed uses is from non-GMO seeds. Modal is made from Beech wood. The fabrics they use are also made in sustainable way to preserve the planet.

Now you may think great that is good for you but why should I care? Well believe it or not fabric made from any kind of plastic material could be impacting the environment every time you wash it. There has been studies done showing that plastic micro fibers have been found in drinking water all over the world, and we the United States are the worst culprit. Check out this article in the Guardian. Kind of gets to me that I have to read international news to find out about my own backyard. This is a reason artists need to get out and VOTE. Each cycle of the wash could release up to 700,000 fibers into the environment.

As artists and art makers we can think about what we wear and also what we put art on. I am an actor but I have also made some money as a designer putting my designs on products sold on on-line stores. I have been looking for an online shop that sells only sustainable products, like notebooks made from recycled paper or sustainable plant based materials.

I just think we all need to demand better made products that help our future and the world we live in.

All the arts are connected. And if you are an actor or a film maker reading this, consider when you buy wardrobe to buy sustainable clothing. Start people wanting to buy these products and create a fake movement.

Thank you for your time and LOVE your self and ART.

For images I took at the FAKE event see Artistic Hope on TUMBLR.