Established in 2003, Bello Iris was founded with the thought that women can be fashionable and compassionate at the same time. From handbags to clothing to shoes, Bello Iris promises the look of high fashion while selling no leather, fur, or any other animal product.

This Dish Is Vegetarian (TDIV) recently caught up with Brittany from Bello Iris to talk about the cruelty-free online store.

TDIV: What inspired you to start this compassionate business?
Brittany: Before I started this business I watched a video that made me understand about the cruelty of the animal skin industry. I was repulsed at what I saw and realized there weren't many options to choose for vegan fashions other than canvas bags and fabric shoes. I wanted to open a business that offered people an alternative, cruelty-free option that was humane and also fashionable. Bello Iris was designed for women that want to look fashionable, while having a compassion for animals.

TDIV: Explain the process you use to determine if a product can be sold on your website.
Brittany: We have done extensive research to determine what exactly is considered cruelty free. I found there were many alternatives like faux leather and synthetic leather products that are man-made materials that actually imitate the look of real leather. All of the shoes and handbags we sell are either man-made leather, canvas or jacquard fabric. We will never sell any real leather. When we purchase from the manufacturer we contact them before-hand to ensure the quality of the products, in addition to authenticating the materials used to make sure everything we sell is completely cruelty free.

TDIV: Which items are the most popular in your store?
Brittany: Our most popular items are definitely our designer inspired handbags because you really can't find vegan ones anywhere else. The most popular purse by far is the Hermes Inspired Birkin Bag and the Fendi Inspired Spybag. As far as our shoes go, the classic pumps are our best seller. We offer them in a wide range of colors, so people tend to like these shoes because they offer a classic look and a variety of color options to choose from.

TDIV: Bello Iris donates a portion of the profits to charity. Tell us what causes are important to the company.
Brittany: PETA is by far the most regular charity we donate to because they bring up animal rights information to people that don't necessarily correlate animals to food and clothing. PETA is a wonderful organization that makes awareness about all aspects of animal rights, from tiny issues to incredibly huge ones. They sometimes use crazy antics, but they get the job done and it forces people to recognize the issues about cruelty to animals. In addition to PETA we also make donations to the Big Cat Rescue and Big Brother/Big Sister. Both of these charities are so important and do wonderful things. The Big Cat Rescue is a wonderful charity that takes in big cats like tigers and lions that were used in circus acts and are basically thrown on the street with no means to survive. They take in all kinds of big cats, whenever the cat may need assistance and offer great nurturing and nutrition programs for the cats to keep them healthy and happy. Many big cats get abandoned and are beaten, so people often leave them alone and Big Cat Rescue steps in. Big Brother/Big Sister is an organization that pairs up adults with children and teenagers. It is a mentoring program designed for adults to have a positive impact on children and teenagers to help them blossom into wonderful grownups and recognize their potential. We donate money to charities because it is important to give back to the community and support organizations doing a great job. There are so many great charities but the ones I mentioned above really touch our heart and that it why we donate money to them.

TDIV: What are the future plans for Bello Iris?
Brittany: We have so many exciting future plans for Bello Iris. We are working on offering even more cruelty-free choices by growing our business larger and offering different items we don't currently have, and extending the product lines we do have. In the future we want to carry even more designer inspired and evening purses, shoe varieties and offer more clothing choices.

Visit Bello Iris online and on Twitter.

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