as a vegetarian, i often find myself in a bit of a conundrum when it comes to some clothing. i love the look and feel of leather jackets, and lately i’ve been thinking about purchasing one, but a part of me always feels guilty. am i a true vegetarian if i wear a leather jacket? is that hypocritical? sure i could buy a fake leather jacket…but they never seem to look as cool as the real ones.

the battalion has come along and solved my problem, by creating “vegan” leather pants and jackets that look just as good as, or better than, the real thing. i decided to find out a little bit more about the company and wow…i am in love.

the battalion specializes in knits and woven fabrics that are eco-friendly, primarily rayon, bamboo, organic cotton, promodal, recycled polyester, veggie fur, veggie leather, and cruelty free “peace” silk.

here’s a brief interview with battalion founder linda wong!

What inspired you to start the battalion?

I see clothes as something more than adornment of oneself but as the foundation of one’s creativity and personal expression.  I started The Battalion as a vehicle to communicate that vision.

Have you always been passionate about fashion and designing? How would you describe your personal style?

My first love is drawing and creating.  As I acquired the technical skills of clothes making, I fell in love with fashion design. My style is exactly like how I design.  It has to be comfortable but not boring.  It is relevant to popular and sub cultures, and full of narratives

What environmental issue are you most passionate about?

The Battalion is a member of The Nature Conservancy and 1% for the Planet.  We are passionate about preserving nature.  We also recognize that in order to make a fundamental difference with environmental issues, we have to encourage the right environmental policies to be in place.  We mobilize our fans via twitter, facebook to get out the vote for all issues that will better our environment.  Lastly and most importantly, we are promoting the benefits of wearing faux fur.  It is not only ethical, but it is more beautiful and alluring to wear something where no animals were hurt in the process.

Battalion AW10 inspiration board

I read that the inspiration for the AW10 collection is landscape, desert and a wolf named Indio. Can you explain this a little bit more?

Years ago, my design partner worked in the costume department of one of Wim Wenders movies.  His movies were known for it’s beautiful imageries of Americana.  Recently I found a road atlas he left behind with detailed notes of routes he had taken during the scout.   So we went on a road trip, following the routes from Los Angeles, to Palm Desert, through Las Vegas, up to Monument Valley in Utah and down to Sedona, Arizona.   The collection is the reflection of our epic trip.  And yes, we met a wolf name Indio in the desert whom inspired our expanded faux fur collection.

What’s next for the battalion? Is there anything you can share that you’re working on now and are really excited about?

For Spring 2011 we have some beautiful hand crochet pieces that are made in a very new way.  Instead if using yarns, we crochet our ultra soft and light weight jersey fabrics.

The results are beautiful and delicate looking tops and dresses with self-crochet details. We are also making new versions of our best seller, The Battalion knit pants with buckle trims, motorcycle details, and some secret ingredients.  More to come!

view the battalion items available at freepeople.com here.

thank you linda!