How did you choose the name of your shop?
It took us a while but we liked Deviant because it felt like the perfect description for our lifestyle and for the look of our products. To be vegan and animal rights activists definitely deviates from the norm, and with the alternative look of our accessories and the fact that they are cruelty-free unlike so many similar products out there, it made sense.
What kinds of items do you sell in your shop and what inspired you to start creating them?
We sell bracelets, bondage collars, and gauntlets. Soon we'll have chokers, companion animal collars, wallet chains and more.We love going to metal shows and dancing to industrial and there has always been a lack of cruelty-free, good quality accessories available, and we wanted to create more original designs.
Do you donate to any charities or do any volunteer work?
Sarah - I've been a Director for the animal rights group LOV: Liberty Over Violence for the past 3 years or so.
Kevin - I attend demonstrations and help out at events.LOV strives to educate the public about every aspect of animal exploitation possible from factory farming, vivisection, and the fur industry, to animals in entertainment, and puppy mills. We do this through public outreach demonstrations, fundraisers and tabling. You can check us out on Facebook for upcoming events. If you're ever in the Toronto area, drop us a line and we'll show you around. The AR community here is full of amazing people, we've got tons of great restaurants and awesome events are happening all the time!We also donate to Farm Sanctuary, Vegan Outreach, Annex Cat Rescue and the Dog Legislation of Canada.
What is your favorite thing about etsy?We love the fact that there is an awesome supportive vegan network and we're so happy to be part of that!
Do you sell your items outside of etsy, either online or in retail shops?
We sell our accessories at Panacea, Toronto's first all vegan store, it's amazing!
What kinds of hobbies and interests do you have?
Sarah - I am kind of obsessed with baking and plan to open the first vegan bakery in Toronto in the next couple of years.
Kevin - I love to play bass and practice martial arts. In my spare time I like to play xbox.We're looking forward to this summer to get out and speak up for animals, travel to animal sanctuaries and get into more outdoor activities like biking and walking trails.
Do you have any animal companions?
We have two amazing 8 year old kittens, Punkin and Smokey, who were rescued from a drain pipe when they were babies.
Do you have any websites besides your shop that you would like to tell us about?
The # 1 Ultimate: http://www.vegweb.com/
Cool raw site: http://www.renegadehealth.com/
The best band EVER and two of them are veg! http://www.lamb-of-god.com/
How long have you been vegan and what made you go vegan?
Sarah - I've been vegan for 2 1/2 years and vegetarian for about 6 years before that. I've had a huge passion for helping animals since I was very young and decided at 16 that I couldn't eat them anymore, but it wasn't until I moved to Toronto and got involved in animal rights that I became aware of the astounding amount of exploitation that animals endure. I finally made the step to becoming vegan, it was the most important choice in my life and I'm so glad that I made it!
Kevin - I stopped drinking dairy about 3 years ago because it seemed unnatural to consume another animal's milk, but I didn't make the connection and continued to eat meat. Sarah and I went to high school together and had lost touch, but we reconnected 2 years ago and she gave me a copy of Meet Your Meat. I watched it, horrified, and the rest is history, I became vegan overnight.We both feel extremely lucky to have a wonderful and compassionate life together.
Do you have any favorite vegan things?
Cupcakes!!! Potlucks, bake sales, cooking, anything to do with food and eating it!What are your favorite foods?EVERYTHING!!! We never truly experienced food until we became vegan. We cook almost everything from scratch and try different recipes every week. Recently we've been trying to eat more raw meals and cut down on processed foods. We love Indian food too much, mmmm, curries, roti, homemade vegan naan bread, yum yum yum! Getting really hungry now!
Anything to add?
Keep on doing what you do, we can all make a difference for animals. As hard as it gets sometimes, just remember one person can make change! :) <3
2 comments:
Great interview, you two! I had no idea two of the members of Lamb Of God were veg. My husband loves them. :)
Cupcakes!! I second that. Vegan bakery? You might just get me up to Toronto!
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