One week from the launch of my new bag line at @bloomingdales ! Support this line, spread the word, and inspire people to make more ethical and conscious decisions in consumption. You guys supporting a local economy means we won't have to mass-produce overseas! We make ALL of our bags in the U.S.A. out of recycled plastic, but it takes your commitment to create more of a demand for those U.S. made products. Thank you so much!! Let's do this!! @FreedomOfAnimals #sustainablefashion @adriansteirn LINK to preorder in bio 🙂 #NikkiReedxFreedomOfAnimals

A photo posted by Nikki Reed (@iamnikkireed) on Oct 4, 2015 at 9:53am PDT

Nikki Reed is currently promoting her new fashion accessory line, which is a joint work with designer Morgan Bogle for his Freedom of Animals label. Nikki’s helped to create sustainable handbags and belts and such, and the line is supposedly all-vegan in nature. The purses are all made from recycled polyurethane (faux eco-leather), dyed with vegetables, and lined with organic cotton.

Nikki and Ian Somerhalder love animals and even adopted a horse together straight away, so this is a good fit for Nikki. I also feel like she knows Twilight was her acting heyday, so she’s smart to be working on another income stream. I liked Nikki a lot even though she self-promotes her private life like crazy. She’s really into oversharing, and Ian is the type to lecture his superfans, which is so hilarious. Yet when it comes to important social issues, Nikki knows what she’s talking about, so perhaps she’s not completely full of it when calling out the “lack of authenticity” of most celebrity fashion collaborations:

On celebrity fashion lines: “I think it goes without saying that people in this industry just put their name on things; everybody understands the lack of authenticity there and what the motive might be. Whereas everything I do, I do it because I live it and I breathe it and I feel it.”

How Nikki’s collaboration is different: We can all do something and we can all be a part of change some way, no matter what degree we decide to participate in,’ she explained, adding that choosing to embrace ethical fashion doesn’t mean that you have to alter every aspect of your life – or feel guilty because you don’t meet certain ‘criteria’ that people associate with being vegan. I am the first to say that I have leather shoes and I love them, but we all do. It’s just about appreciating there are other options. And that’s the gift that Morgan gave to me, I was like, I’m actually going to start changing some things about myself. This is the next chapter for me. I’m going to start buying less leather and discover why it’s important to create more of a demand for US–based products.”

[From Daily Mail]

Nikki will receive no arguments from me on what she’s said here. I think she’s a bright woman and thoroughly thinks through her professional dealings. She’s still an attention seeker, but anyone who sources locally is a good egg in my book. Will Nikki receive some backlash for calling out her fellow celebrities for simply popping their names onto any fashion line? Perhaps, but Nikki speaks the truth. Many celebs don’t know a damn thing about what’s going on during the production process, and it’s all about endorsement money for them. I can appreciate a celebrity who does their research like Nikki does.

Come by and say hi! See you at 1pm! @bloomingdales SOHO @freedomofanimals #sustainablefashion We all search to find that SOMETHING: our place on this planet, our purpose, what inspires us and those who we inspire. I want to share my SOMETHING with all of you. My new bag line with Freedom Of Animals, made of recycled plastic, is a step in a direction that will soon be the only direction. The divide in fashion between what is ethical and what is fashion forward will no longer exist as we are forced to face the reality ahead. These bags are made in the United States from post-consumer polyurethane, to make a faux suede leather unlike anything I've ever seen before. This is the future: sustainable ethical fashion that supports conservation efforts, made locally. Please, if you haven’t already, check out FreedomOfAnimals.com to look at my new collection. Let’s be a part of this movement together. And remember, when it comes to making a difference, JUST TRY. Do SOMETHING. Like I said last week, I am of the belief system that striving for perfection only encourages hypocrisy, so as I talk about my new bag line over the next few months made from recycled plastic, or as I write about ethical fashion that supports conservation efforts, I'll also leave you with this to think about: You don't have to be "one" or the "other." You can be a meat eater and still carry a faux leather bag because it means you're doing SOMETHING. Being aware doesn't mean you're obligated to do it all, it means you're doing the best you can. Lets stop being exclusive and start being inclusive. Let’s stop judging & start doing. I am on this journey with you. This is all new to me as well. I'm learning about what it means to support, and create ethical fashion just like you are. Two years ago those words weren't even in my vocabulary. And look where we are now. Let's grow together, and let's teach each other. Thanks for the love, thanks for the support and cheers to the future.

A photo posted by Nikki Reed (@iamnikkireed) on Oct 10, 2015 at 5:45am PDT

Photos courtesy of Nikki Reed on Instagram & WENN