Vegetarian Star

Inder Bedi, founder of vegan, eco-friendly Matt and Nat handbags and accessories, spoke with the Edmonton Journal about the origins of Matt and Nat, the market for eco-friendly fashion and how he keeps the company’s offices meat-free.

Bedi even touches on the story that made headlines a couple of years ago regarding the employee who took legal action because she couldn’t bring her baloney (pun fully intended) to work.

Here are a few highlights from the interview:

Do people buy Matt and Nat because they support the vegan, eco-friendly philosophy?

A: “Most people buy it because they like the look. When they find out it’s vegan and we use recycled water bottles for linings and we use sustainable materials such as cork, they like that too.”

“I think the key thing in terms of design esthetic, is you have to do what you like and hope that people will appreciate it, versus chasing trends. It’s not a trendy line — it’s more timeless, minimalist.”

What influences Matt and Nat designs?

A: “Everything from architecture to art to music to food to vegan restaurants to fixing your bike … anything.”

Is it true that your whole office in Montreal is meat-free?

A: “Yes. No meat, no fish, no eggs. They can bring dairy products — nobody does, but they can.”

And no one minds?

A: “It’s funny, one of our employees two years ago complained to the Human Rights Commission … They basically told the employee she had no claim. It’s the same thing as working at Wendy’s and you have to wear a uniform.

Read the entire interview here.

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