Guess What! The images of the Good Guys shoes from designer Marion Hanania in collaboration with April77‘s Brice Partouche that I wrote about a week ago, are online for your viewing pleasure! I love the red and black soles, and am really enjoying the patterned trims on several of the styles. As soon as there’s a place to purchase, I will let you know.
Psst! Hey ladies… 
April77′s very own Brice Partouche paid a visit to Waffle Brunch at the West Cafe yesterday, and was wearing the samples of his re-envisioned shoe-line “Good Guys”. These sustainably leather-free, faux-suede desert boots, made fairly in Portugal were pretty darn exciting. I’m eagerly awaiting the release of these, and the many other style’s he’ll have coming out very soon!
• As I mentioned yesterday, the April 77 online store has launched, and I love this editorial video, Black Hills, for SS11 featuring Jethro Cave and Sophie Willing. Everything at April 77 is vegan as of SS11.
• Johnathan Nosan is a contortionist. But it’s not only the form of his body that he can drastically change – he is also contorting industrial waste into some pretty awesome bags, and for only $35, that’s a pretty amazing deal.
Rejoice! It’s finally here! Our favorite vegan Parisian, Brice Partouche, has launched April 77′s online store, chock full of bad-boy clothes and accessories that embrace the real rebels out there. Their new campaign features Jethro Cave (model, musician, and Nick Cave’s son) and Sophie Willing (model and actress) in photos and an upcoming video!
Paris Vegan Day drew in almost 5,000 people from all over France and Europe! The day started with a buffet vegan brunch at the La Bellevilloise Cafe where James and I met up with Brice Partouce of April77 and his pals. There was a line out he door and so many people showed up for a vegan brunch in Paris that it blew my mind. Who knew? The atmosphere was great – I loved the space. As I’ve mentioned, something I really fell in love with about Paris is all the attention to detail and aesthetics that is considered. We had more creamy soy yogurt, tofu-scramble, risotto, salad, breads and spreads – one of which was like vegan Nutella, mango juice, and of course, perfect espresso.
Later I emceed a fashion show featuring C-PAS, Mademoiselle Pimpante, Olsen Haus, Under the Pyramids, Herbivore Clothing, Vegetarian Shoes, Lili Cerise, Funambulle, and then gave a 45 minute talk on Fashion & Animals to a full crowd. I am thrilled to say that was asked to come back to Paris in September to give the talk at American University! I am so stoked, and really looking forward to this. Later, my roommates Isa and Terry of Veganomicon / Post Punk Kitchen / Viva Vegan! gave a cooking demo, and there was vegan shwarma and chocolate chip waffles and so many other things happening I couldn’t keep up! For a full list of participants, click here.
That night, vegan choreographer James Koroni and Paris’ own Celine Orang of Creadanse – who is also veg – performed with my friend Princess Superstar who totally rocked the house! Check out James’ new website Enforced Arch, that has a great article about the night. Enforced Arch is dedicated to using dance as a platform for addressing social issues like animal rights, as well as highlighting other veg dancers and performers like Tonya Kay, Bettina May and Ray Hesselink.
Day two in Paris started with a warm baguette, strong espresso noir, soyja yogurt, and fresh fruit from the local market. Some of the baguette petit tradicion had dark chocolate chips in it which were phenomenal. My goal for the day was to make it to the April 77 flagship store and splurge on a vegan motorcycle jacket, which I’d been saving up for.
The store was tre chic, filled with rock n’ roll inspired clothes, and hard-to-find items like vegan cowboy boots and thick sweaters made from cotton, as opposed to wool. There were still a few wool items straggling from previous seasons, but designer Brice Partouche, PR master Tommy, and Ben at the store all assured me that the collection will be totally vegan as of 2011. Ben, who was our salesperson was helpful and also had some fun tattoos which you’ll see in the photo album below. He even taught us how to say “fur is disgusting” and “you hate animals” in French, so I could say it to people in fur… which is almost everyone people in Paris. I mean, seriously? If the Arctic Pass had a prehistoric runway, you might be able to imagine what I’m taking about.
It was inspiring to see tags that read “cruelty free fabric and label” and handsomely designed labels that declare “Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather”. James got a seriously gorgeous, brown, waxed-canvas biker jacket and I went with a chambray shirt and a black jacket. I am lucky this store is so far away. I’d be broke. Well-dressed, but broke.
All Men’s Organic Denim at KAIGHT is marked down to only 50$! Lots of other men’s stuff is significantly marked down as well, so go check it out! And don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten why organic cotton blows conventional cotton out of the water – like the little know fact that In India, cotton accounts for 5% of the land under crops and 54% of annual pesticide use and that 1 million agricultural workers are hospitalized due to pesticide poisoning each year. Click here to get your learn on.
Gourmet Vegan Meal Delivery Service! Gobble Green is now offering to the US, Canada and the UK, three diet plans for people who just don’t have the time to prepare, but still want to enjoy and benefit from amazing organic vegan food.
If you are in or near Paris in the next few days, definitely go check out the April77 AW10 Men and Women collections at the RENDEZ-VOUS tradeshow. January 22nd to January 25th – 12 rue Charlot 75003 Paris.
On Monday Feb 15, a new animated series will premiere on PlanetGreen.com. GREEN SHAMAN, the spirit of an arctic polar bear who helps DJ ChloroPhil live greener, is summoned by magic incense and appears at inconvenient times. Is this going to be too earnest or hilarious? Will Captain Planet finally have a rival? Find out for yourself in the six-part animated 90-second short-form series.
Nothing to do in NYC on Saturday night 1/23/10? Come celebrate with me at an awesome gala to support Mercy for Animals. 
From 7 p.m. until midnight, the Gala will feature delicious vegan hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, wine and spirits, live entertainment and a memorable awards ceremony.
Guests of honor include Queer As Folk’s Hal Sparks, comedian Dan Piraro, legendary artist Peter Max, CNN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell, HBO film producer Tom Simon, Super Size Me co-star and author Alex Jamieson, famed musician Nellie McKay, “Discerning Brute” Joshua Katcher, bestselling author Victoria Moran, GirlieGirl Army’s Chloe Jo Davis, and many more.
This elegant affair will raise funds to continue Mercy For Animals’ vital work to protect animals from needless suffering and abuse.
Brice Partouce has a vision. The Parisian-Jewish-punk-rocker-record-label-proprietor-fashion-designer not only makes some of the most cool and sought-after threads, but he’s also reshaping the industry landscape. Throngs of rockers and hipsters seek out his signature denim, each pair endowed with a loaded guitar pick-holster, allowing the bearer to play a power-chord at moment’s notice. Drawing on his adolescence as a hardcore kid, and following the guidance of his conscience, Partouche has carved out a role for himself as both rebel and savior. In an age where the “rebel look” equates the irony of supporting some of the most mainstream and problematic industry practices, a real iconoclast emerges, and he’s wearing a vegan biker jacket.
Discerning Brute: What’s it like being a fashion designer in Paris who has ethical convictions? How does the industry respond to your values?
Brice Partouche: First, I don’t consider myself as a fashion designer. I use fashion industry to show my vision, and so my ethical convictions,but I also talk about music with APRIL77®collections, and more specifically about rock n’ roll and youth movements.
I was vegetarian for 13 years and recently turned vegan. Not a lot of people knows that APRIL77 is a cruelty-free label because we always have communicated on the music side but never on the “animal liberation” idea. But I think people will find out next winter when they will notice that wool has been banned from our collections.
The cruelty free ethic does not fit into the fashion industry right now. But I hope a change and I really think that APRIL77® could help for a change. We are the only fahion and trendy brand that is animal friendly. I’m not saying that others ethical brands doesn ‘t exist but I’m just pointing the fact that those brands are not into the “fashion/trendy” circuit but into the eco/ethical market.
DB: That’s rare, and that’s brave. Speaking of cruelty-free, what inspired the “Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather” line, and what shoes and boots can we expect to see in the future? We need an amazing men’s lace up boot! Do you have any other accessories planned? Driving gloves? Faux leather buckle suspenders maybe?
BP: The name comes from the Minor Threat song (which is a cover song) “Good Guys Don’t Wear White” because hardcore music made my mind and my vision. We launched this line with 2 shoes (derby/cowboys boots) last year but a real leather free shoe/accessories line will be launched next year. But it has to be perfect, and good leather alternative are hard to find and to develop…
DB: Your English is so much better than my French! You also run a record label. What came first, the clothing or the records, and give us a band we should check out that New York may not be aware of yet.
BP: The clothing line came first but music inspired the collections… It’s like the chicken and the egg. Top band: Semen Sundae. It’s my band and we are serious, 10 songs in 20 min…. Really I don’t listen to new bands… I’m kind of stuck in oldies punk/hxc/Black Metal/Hard Rock…
DB: Obviously, you don’t use any fur or leather. Why do you think people are so obsessed with leather and fur – and will we ever be able to move beyond them?
BP: First, leather is just like denim. Leather lives, get older.. So yes leather is beautiful. Same for fur… The problem with consumers is that they stop thinking after noticing that something is beautiful. That’s pure hypocrisy. Same with food. Meat is tasty/ good.. “Ok that’s enough…I don ‘t want to know more…” If people would have to kill by their hand the animals they are wearing, well the story would be different. Leather/fur supplier are just like butchers. And people are hiding behind them…
DB: We love the look of your wool garments, but many of us don’t wear wool because of how the animals are bred, raised and treated for this purpose. Do you have any plans to make similar garments in a cruelty-free option or to discontinue the use of wool?
BP: I turned vegan 6 months ago , just when I started to work on the winter collection. It was logical to me that I should banned wool from the collection. Some people tried to change my mind or asked me to wait before doing such an important change, but I couldn’t be in harmony with myself if, as a vegan, [if] I was producing wool. In future collections, we are replacing wool by really thick and heavy cotton. Sometimes we mixed it up with some synthetic threads just for a hairy look. We are trying as much as we can to use only natural knitting fabrics.
DB: I was recently in Paris and had an amazing experience with food. What would a perfect weekend for a vegan in Paris look like? What is your favorite places to visit for fashion, food, and entertainment?
BP: Haha, eating vegan in Paris is like being satanist in Vatican…
Almost all vegetarian/vegan restaurants are owned by sects…but a good place to eat is Le Potager Du Marais on rue Rambuteau in the 3rd. I will pass on the fashion/entertainment question…But, the best bar/pub is Stolly’s , awesome music and cool people.
DB: When will the online boutique be open for business? Where can people outside of Paris purchase your clothing?
BP: Soon a new website…
DB: What would the world be like if you were in charge?
BP: A vegan reich 
Yeah, it’s true that real leather bites the big one. Chromium-pollution is so 90s. Thankfully, our friends over at GlassBoutique in the UK sent us some gorgeous images from April77‘s take on a couple of classic rebel jackets, like the biker and the bomber. Lighter and more fitted, these waxed-cotton collectibles could be a devilishly-handsome addition to your permanent wardrobe. Here’s the Decontrol Jacket with a smart, red-plaid lining.
Here’s the Heat II Bomber, featuring black tartan lining, shoulder epilettes and chunky silver zips.
The April77 party at Oak was on the top-10 parties list (Refinery29) for Fashion’s Night Out, kicking off fashion week. I met up with Tommy Über of April77 at OAK to chat and check out some denim customizing!
Concerning April77′s creator and designer, Brice Partouche being a long-time vegetarian and recent convert to vegan, and making a cruelty-free shoe line, Tommy Über had this to say:
We don’t make any leather... It’s important to see the vision of someone that really carries his personal causes into a clothing line… And that’s why people love April77 – because it’s engaged. – Tommy Über, APRIL77
The current April77 collection does have wool, but Brice personally ensured me that all future collections will be free from animal products.
