In an effort to shed a light on “conscious fashion,” WWDMAGIC will partner with animal rights organization PeTA and animal-friendly outerwear brand Coalition LA at the fashion trade show’s upcoming winter marketplace, set for Feb. 5-7 at Las Vegas Convention Center.

The PeTA x Coalition LA-branded partnership will be featured in events throughout the event to bring awareness about the cruelty-free options available to the fashion community, according to Kelly Helfman, president of WWDMAGIC.

“WWDMAGIC is a very commercial, high-profile fashion event in the B2B industry, and we have brands of all kinds,” Helfman said. “Our job is to connect brands and buyers as well as to educate the industry on what is happening in fashion.”

She continued, “Once we heard PeTA was collaborating on a collection with Coalition LA, one of our WWDMAGIC brands, it felt like the perfect time to really start the conversation about conscious fashion options with our retailers and educate them on their options when it comes to fashion at our show.”

As a partnership that unites the world’s largest animal rights organization with a premium outerwear brand with 20 years of cruelty-free manufacturing experience, the PeTA x Coalition LA collaboration is working with retailers to design custom fashion-forward outerwear capsules made from premium vegan materials. 

The two animal rights advocates launched their collaboration late last year with a limited-edition Go With The Faux vegan leather jacket. This successful venture has resulted in PeTA x Coalition LA offering WWDMAGIC retailers the chance to design and carry a custom fashion-forward outerwear capsule made from premium vegan materials.

“The PeTA x Coalition LA collaboration is uniquely positioned to move retailers across the nation towards a more mindful buying behavior, due to the fact that this is PeTA’s first campaign with a wholesale manufacturer,” said Darci Wong, creative director of Coalition LA.

Besides a special focus on cruelty-free fashion, the WWDMAGIC showfloor will feature a vegan fashion panel, “Conscious Fashion Choices Are Getting Trendy” — including celebrity animal rights activist Daniella Monet, vegan fashion influencer Molly Tuttle and PeTA’s Fashion Campaigns Manager Christina Sewell — that will dive into the rise of the conscious consumer and how brands are taking steps toward accommodating the growing cruelty-free fashion market.

According to WWDMAGIC officials, all attendees will get the opportunity get a close-up look at a vegan materials portfolio swatch books containing the latest fabric technology such as Pinatex pineapple leather, mushroom leather and faux fur made with recycled plastic bottles.

In addition, the 2019 WWDMAGIC show bag will be made from PeTA x Coalition LA’s premium vegan leather and will be made available to attendees.

While WWDMAGIC features brands that use real leather and fur in addition to brands that use vegan leather and faux fur, the fashion trade show is not taking a stand on the issue but is instead focused on informing fashion retailers about their choices and how to take more conscious steps, if they’re interested, Helfman said.

“Gen Z and Millennials have an increasing interest in the story behind the products they are purchasing, so we feel it is important to start creating the conversation at our event now more than ever,” she said.

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