Vegan Business Talk

In this episode I interview Lois Eastlund, vegan fashion designer of her eponymous brand in New York. Lois has loved fashion since she was a child and knew at the age of 11 that she wanted to attend NYC’s Fashion Institute of Technology. After gaining her degree from there several years later, she entered the industry, working in Manhattan’s Garment District for more than 30 years as a designer in menswear, womenswear, junior sportswear and tween clothing. During this time she also ran her own shop in the East Village and leveraged her line of streetwear, wholesaling to vendors throughout Europe, Asia and the US, including New York City’s Patricia Fields. In 2008, after years of freelancing, vending at weekend markets and participating in an independent designer co-op in NoHo, Lois opened her eponymous boutique on the Lower East Side. For five years, the store stocked her line of men’s shirts and women’s dresses that embodied her signature aesthetic – bold patterns and flattering tailoring – which continue