HOPE: So tell me about your self, and that vegan cow. When did that all begin? Have you always been interested in kind of showcasing veganism and using humour to do so?

 

LYDIA: Well I'm 19 and a student at Cardiff uni studying politics and philosophy. I love my course because it really challenges me to question the way I think about world issues. A combination of this and my boyfriend and the podcast Citizen Radio's influence led me to veganism and also to a charity training course that I am currently taking part in. The course is called Charity Apprentice and is run by Child.org and so far it's been an excellent experience. 

 

As for ThatVeganCow, I drew the 'leave my tits alone' illustration with no intention of creating something to sell or with any intention at all really! I posted it on Instagram but it didn't get much attention coming from an account that was mostly followed by my friends. Still I thought it was a good design and started selling prints of it on depop. I think I sold 3 or 4, which is obviously very little but I was still excited. I thought maybe the platform was the issue so I switched to etsy, sold a few more and started making stickers and badges and my first batch of t-shirts. 

 

It was very slow at first, only a few sales each month until Cherie @thrivingonplants on Instagram agreed to promote the shop for me. She was a huge help and really kicked things off for me. From there the shop has been steadily gaining support and currently keeps me pretty busy. I really enjoy it and hope it carries on doing well. 

 

With regard to vegan merchandise, I'm pleased to have brought something into the market that is fun and provokes conversation. Veganism is becoming far more common and the demand for merchandise is growing. Hopefully my shop will grow with it. 

 

 

HOPE: Politics and philosophy, wow, that sounds intense! You sound like a really passionate person, have you always been interested in eco friendly living or is being a vegan an anomaly in your life? How long have you been a vegan then? 

 

You mentioned that the 'Leave my tits alone' print wasn't drawn with the intention of selling, so how did that come about? It's cool to see you've found a way to be creative whilst studying what I'm sure is a pretty academic course.

 

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to branch out into the creative world and start their own brand?