Meet the Aerospace Engineer Who Started a Vegan Fashion Marketplace

This story is kindly sponsored by Marché Éthique.

Kajol Sethia is far from your typical 22-year-old. A recent graduate of the Singapore University of Technology and Design, Kajol is a qualified aerospace engineer with a stint at Rolls Royce Engines and Rolls Royce Aerospace. She has also fundraised for Nepal earthquake relief and organised several treks in the Himalayas. Phew! She also doesn’t shy away from hard work – she worked as a librarian and waitress to support herself during her studies.

Kajol has been a vegan for three years. After adopting this lifestyle, she began to question her career choices – like many of us, she wanted to work to create something that did the world good. So she abandoned her career in aerospace engineering and embarked upon an entrepreneurial path in vegan fashion by creating what she struggled to find herself while transitioning to veganism: a style and beauty resource.

“Engineering and space exploration has always been my study of interest. But with time, when I slowly started to learn about animal abuse and torture, my interest drifted apart from engineering as my future career path,” says Kajol. “I decided to start something of my own  which would perfectly fit in with my interest towards veganism and love for animals. And that’s when I started Marché Éthique.”

Marché Éthique is a curated vegan fashion marketplace offering cruelty-free accessories for men and women, as well as makeup and skincare. At first sight, it may seem similar to any style and beauty online boutique – sleek, stylish, contemporary. But then you notice the slogan: “Let’s create a community where fur and leather are a thing of the past”. And just like that, you’ve entered Kajol’s vision of style without cruelty – a goal she shares with many of the founders of the brands she stocks. Some of the brands offered include Brave GentleMan, Good Guys, Wilby and Labante London – brands that we know and love, and that will appeal to conscious shoppers around the globe.

We’ve selected a few of our favourite items from the boutique – here are some of the styles we fell for:

 

 

Women’s

We love the wear-them-with-everything ankle boots from Good Guys, as well as the black everyday backpack from Wilby. As the weather heats up, we would love to slip inoto these loafers from Gunas, and the red LaBante chain clutch is the perfect cocktail-evening accessory.

 

Men’s

Add a sleek touch to workwear with this laptop bag from Bronnko – but off duty, toughen up your style with the rough-yet-refined boots from Brave GentleMan. The weekender bag from Bronnko looks every big as polished as its leather counterparts, and the two-toned textured brogues from the same brand are elegant yet easy to wear.

 

Makeup / skincare

Created by influential makeup artist Ellis Faas, the makeup brand of the same name is 100% cruelty-free and vegan. The black mascara is a must-have in any makeup bag – but check out Ellis Faas’ dark metallic Lights highlight eyeshadow. With a sophisticated sheen, this is the only product you need to create an attention-grabbing evening look. And if you truly want to be unforgettable, spritz on a touch of Le Fleur Eternelle, the floral fragrance with notes of amaranth and jasmine. For soft lips, look no further than Menoo Organics’ Cocomint lip balm – refreshing and soothing at the same time.

 

All photos courtesy of Marché Éthique

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Sascha Camilli

Founder and Editor

A passionate changemaker, Sascha Camilli is the founder and editor-in-chief of Vilda Magazine. Born in Moscow and raised in Stockholm, she has also lived in Los Angeles, London, Milan and Florence, before landing in her current hometown of Brighton, UK. She was selected as one of GLAMOUR UK's Most Empowering Nu-Gen Activists and is a frequent public speaker on the topic of vegan fashion and material innovation. Her book Vegan Style is out now on Murdoch Books.

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