An Interview with Vegan Clothing Brand Owner, Alicia Perkins
- Alex Eaves
- May 23
- 7 min read
A Competitor for Clothing Sales? No. A Collaborator for Change.
A few years ago, I was at one of the numerous vegan events where I sell my STAY VOCAL reuse clothing. In the corner of the room, I saw a massive display of various vegan and animal rights themed T-Shirts. While I was impressed and thought so many of the designs were really cool, I haven't bought new shirts since 2007. But with the wild array of retro 80s and 90s themes and slogans I aligned with, I couldn't just avoid the booth. As we were fellow vendors at numerous events, I got to be friendly with the woman behind the Vegan Power Co. booth, Alicia Perkins. Alicia would also stop by my booth and geek out at my vintage trading card magnets. And she would talk about how she loved the reuse mission and wanted to do more eco friendly things with her brand. That got me thinking. She wasn't just another vendor.
What I've learned countless times is that when you're trying to make actual positive change in this world, don't let competition come into play. Collaboration is key. That's why over the past few years, Alicia and I have teamed up for rescue bandanas for animals, 1 of a Kind REUSE! T-Shirts to benefit animals affected by the fires in Los Angeles, and now we're getting ready for a full on reuse cover up T-Shirt release.
The more we work together, the more positive change we can actually create; for people, for our planet, and for animals.
OK, here's Alicia.
1. You have a very specific style and color pallet with your designs. Could you talk about where you draw your inspiration from and why?
I love 80s & 90s nostalgia - particularly the logos, typography & design aesthetic of that era! Just a fan of bold, saturated color in general. I like to "wear my personality out loud" haha!
2. Besides veganism and animal rights, you feature different messages in your designs. Could you talk about what inspires you to use your platform to start those conversations?
I see ALL issues of oppression and liberation as interconnected. We can't stand for the rights of one marginalized group without seeking justice for all who suffer under oppression. Animal rights are often the gateway for folks to understand that the same systems of oppression that exist to commodify animal bodies & profit from their exploitation are the same systems that seek to limit rights of women, POC, queer and trans folks, disabled people, the poor, etc etc. We are united in this way and we can't talk about liberation for one without liberation for all. We all have a responsibility to use whatever platform we have to speak out against injustices of all kinds. Otherwise we are just willing participants in an ethically bankrupt charade of capitalism.
3. OK. I can't not ask you a question about food. I know that we both love traveling and visiting restaurants. We also have both spent a lot of time on the east and west coasts, where you live now. So, here's a hyper specific question about food. What's a restaurant that you've visited who does a good job at cutting down on waste and how?
I always gravitate towards places that take a more farm-to-table approach and tailor their menus to what is more local & seasonally available. It's fresher, more delicious, more cost-efficient and of course, eating local (and vegan) cuts back on transportation emissions & other waste associated with importing all your ingredients. My #1 life-changing experience of this though was just recently in Iceland at a place called Fri∂heimar tomato farm. It's a family owned and operated farm that harnesses geothermal heat in greenhouses to grow tomatoes and other produce year round. Guests learn about their innovations in sustainability while dining on a tomato-centric food and drink menu amongst the tomato plants!
4. So, while I'm certainly a solutions guy, we do have to address the problems. Where do you see the most waste in your daily life?
As a small business vendor I witness first-hand the amount of waste created at vegan festivals and street markets. Some festival organizations do a better job of mitigating this than others, but we all, vendors and patrons alike, myself included, can do a LOT better when it comes to reducing single use items and better "planning ahead" when it comes to circumventing opportunities for waste. For example, I've cultivated habits of bringing my reusable bottles/coffee cup/metal straw/reusable bags/etc most places I go, but just recently we had dinner together and it absolutely blew my mind that you brought a reusable container with you for leftovers! Like, you can DO THAT?! At a restaurant?! Why had this very simple step never occurred to me before? It was a very A-HA moment for me. I think a lot of unintentional waste is just like this. Sometimes the ways we can reduce waste aren't immediately obvious and it takes a "spark" from a more seasoned-reuser, haha. Then it just takes a little more planning and cultivating better habits over time.
5. In your personal experience, how do you think recycling has worked and NOT worked as a solution to waste?
I'm not super educated on this but I was floored to recently find out that only a fraction of what we put in recycling bins actually gets recycled. So the concept of recycling can't be the "excuse" or catch-all for us to keep carrying on as we have, waste-wise.
6. How do you think the U.S. could step up the solutions to our waste problem? Have you seen or heard of anything anywhere else?
Again, I'm not super well-versed in this area but I recently spent time in both the UK and Iceland and experienced how differently they handle consumption and waste. It is ingrained in their culture. For example, in Iceland there were almost zero single use items at all - everything is served on real cups and plates. But that also comes with a cultural expectation that you stop and take time to sit and enjoy your coffee, etc.
It's SO unlike the American hustle culture, that creates single-use waste as a byproduct of this on-the-go mentality. Also portion sizes in Iceland and the UK are a lot more "realistic" so we found ourselves with less opportunity to waste, etc. This is just one example of the interplay of cultural differences with waste-reducing practices.
7. It's funny. I always tell people that reusing is nothing new. It’s been going on long before we were here. Do you have any memories of your parents or grandparents reusing in unique ways?
Of course, they existed long before fast-fashion and this notion that everything was disposable. You actually mended clothes that had holes or tears! Repaired shoes whose soles had broken. Tailored clothes that didn't fit. These are almost lost practices. Also, every jar and container was reused for storage of other food or items. This was before "Tupperware parties" and plastic containers made for the sole purpose of storage really caught on. Everything really shifted with my parents' (boomer) generation with the rise of all of these convenience-oriented products and practices. As a result, our generation was raised with a different, more wasteful mindset. A lot of my adult life has been about questioning and undoing some of these bad habits that until recently we just blindly accepted as the way our parents did things.
8. Do you have any notable stories about saving money on something because you bought it used instead of new?
Absolutely. When I became a parent, it really hit home how temporary some of our needs for certain "stuff" are and nothing drives that point home more than a fast growing baby, haha! How silly to keep buying new clothing that they will outgrow in a few weeks or months. And all the books, toys, and gear that is needed for one stage of a child's development but then quickly bypassed. I really discovered the incredible value of hand-me-downs, buying from kids-specific second-hand shops & utilizing amazing local communities like Buy Nothing groups.
9. Have you ever taken anything out of the recycling bin or trash to reuse somehow or maybe found something on the side of the road?
Absolutely. Some of my favorite furniture & decor items were road-side treasure, haha! We also joke that when our daughter was young, she never needed toys just random junk from the recycling bin that she would repurpose for art supplies and building creations. It's no surprise that she is a HUGE fan of the Box Truck film and your work, Alex. I have a lot of hope for this generation of kiddos.
10. And lastly, what’s the best thing that you ever got used and why? Got a photo?
I have a fire-engine red refurbished 1960s tanker desk in my office. I'm using it right now as I write this, haha!
To learn more about Alicia and her brand,
check out the Vegan Power Co. website.
To order one of the bandanas like Alicia is holiding in her profile photo,
Stay Tuned!
Alicia and I have another STAY VOCAL collaboration coming real soon...
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