That would be mine!

hi. I’m Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, founder of Vaute Couture, Inc. I’ve been trying to raise money for animals since I was 8, and sick of being cold and un-fabulous for the six months in Chicago we call winter, winter, and the deep winter. So I decided to do something about it.  Vaute Couture is that something, a tiny new fashion house with the aim to birth the ultimate winter coat: conscientious (vegan - eco - fair), stunning, and warm enough for pretty days during a Chicago winter. The line launched in the fall of 2009, to a community following around the world that I feel so lucky to know! We also have some celebrity fans including Emily Deschanel, Alicia Silverstone, and Ally Sheedy. Learn more at VauteCouture.com . Feel free to contact me anytime!

OnOurSleeve.com is where I put it all out there: Who we love, what we believe in, and what we aim for… plus fun ways to get involved & collaborate too! Would love to hear your thoughts & ideas always.

With love,

::OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY::

Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart is Founder of Vaute Couture, the first and only winter coat line on the market that is at once warm enough for a Chicago winter, chic, and completely conscientious (vegan, eco, and ethically produced.) She spent a year developing the line, and after 8 months of fabric research for a vegan alternative to wool that was slim & pretty but ready for a Chicago winter, ended up with a brand new technology fabric that is wind/snow resistant, designed to retain heat, and completely recyclable and vegan, lined in a windproof 100% recycled closed loop zero waste ripstop.

Leanne has been vegan since she was 17 and vegetarian since age 10, her background is not in fashion but in activism and start-ups, as she has been advocating for animals since she was 8 years old and helped push a bill into law at 17, for dissection alternatives in IL schools. She has been named 20 under 30 by VegNews Magazine and featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Teen Vogue, the LA Times, and Oprah.com.

::::READ MORE:::
the Teen Vogue piece HERE.
VegNews Magazine Cover HERE.
Oprah.com piece HERE and HERE.
:::WATCH:::
So excited! We just debuted Fall Winter 2010 collection which includes Men’s, Urban Snow Coats (down-alternative made of all recycled fibers), Vegan leather gloves & belts, and Soy knit accessories.  Check it out!

DBTV: VAUTE COUTURE A/W 2010 at The Green Shows from The Discerning Brute on Vimeo.

And an interview by Sparrow Media is below (I was a little tired, please excuse my sleepy eyes!) xoxo

Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart from Sparrow Media on Vimeo.