Everything you need to know about Compassionate Co
How I met this wonderful new vegan business owner
You may recall an interview that I did for The Thrive Tribe a while ago. Well, Charlotte is the daughter of Paul Mallory and he was kind enough to connect us.
Charlotte has recently launched a vegan business called Compassionate Co. She and I have worked together to create an interview-style article to fill you in on all there is to know about it.
Charlotte Mallery of Compassionate Co
What does Compassionate Co specialise in selling?
We currently sell apparel such as t-shirts and hoodies. We also sell mugs and accessories, such as necklaces and phone cases to our range. More recently, we’ve added stickers, which have been really popular.
Our most popular items are:
mugs
our newly launched stickers
hoodies
I'm looking to expand into selling more homeware such as posters and prints, so keep an eye out for that!
Where is Compassionate Co based?
I'm based in Cheltenham, but Compassionate Co as a brand is online so that products can be made to order. The prime reason for this is waste reduction. Instead of making and printing products en masse, I work with a printing company who have several fulfilment sites in Europe and beyond. This means that orders can be printed and shipped from whichever site is closest and that’s great for reducing the emissions caused by shipping products. It also means that shipping is much faster than if I shipped everything from where I am!
As well as the website I've been working on building our Instagram page to share information about veganism and sustainability. I’m particularly keen on this because I think that discussions and education are the most powerful tools we have. In my mind, using fashion and art as a form of communication, combined with factual discussions, is a great way to reach a wider audience who might not have previously engaged with discussions around a vegan lifestyle.
What inspired you to create a business that solely focuses on vegan clothing, homeware and accessories?
I started Compassionate Co in November 2020. The idea came from a frustration with trying to find vegan products online that were ethically and sustainably sourced while having designs that fit my style more than the ones I normally see. I wanted to make something that combined vegan activism and fashion. A portion of the profits go to animal rescue sanctuaries, so it feels good to be able to give back to animals as well.
Who are the team behind Compassionate Co?
I create the designs and content and I manage the social media and the website. It's a lot of work but it's been a great creative outlet during lockdowns! My brother Oli has been helping with advertising, and that’s been priceless as I've not had a lot of experience in that before now.
How easy is it for you to source vegan and cruelty-free ingredients for your products?
I've found that suppliers are really variable in how transparent they are about their process. I'm always wary of greenwashing, which is a trend by companies to make claims about their environmental and ethical commitments that are mostly just for show. This happens a lot with the major fast fashion brands, which by their nature can't be sustainable because they produce so much waste. Therefore, I take extra time to background check the people who I’m considering working with. I use suppliers whose products are independently certified as ethical and sustainable. This isn't just about the products being vegan, but about making sure there is no human cost in creating them either. It's important to me to know that the products are made in an environment that has the following:
respect for workers’ rights
no forced labour
no child labour
no toxic chemicals
The above list isn’t exclusive but they’re some of the main things that I look out for.
Do these materials affect the outcome in comparison with non-vegan clothing, homeware and accessories?
I was so scared before getting my first sample order, as I'd invested so much time into finding the ‘right’ supplier and creating the designs. I was worried that making ethical products might mean compromising on quality and I wondered if having ethical vegan products was too good to be true. However, the samples came and I fell in love with them. I was really happy with the quality. So no, I've not found that having vegan inks, materials, and suppliers have affected the quality of the products.
Tell me a bit about yourself?
My name is Charlotte and as you know, I’m the creator and designer behind Compassionate Co. I'm a Psychology graduate. Having finished my course May 2020 and with so much time on my hands, due to being in lockdown, I've had the opportunity to read and learn about my passions such as veganism, sustainability, psychology, as well as having lots of time to create art and music.
What is your vision for the future of Compassionate Co?
As I mentioned before, I really want to look into making posters and prints, as these are a really affordable way for people to support the business and I have a lot of design ideas that I can't wait to try.
Leading on from that I would love to hire different vegan artists to make posters of their own and provide their perspectives on veganism that I can't know as a cis white woman. I'm very aware that white, cisgender people dominate the conversation around veganism, so I want to be able to expand that conversation where I can through Compassionate Co.
If you’re tempted to buy something from Compassionate Co, this code may make it even more tempting…Use the code PLANTSHIFT and you’ll receive 10% off orders that are over £15. This offer will end seven days after the publication of this article.