Aspiring models will audition for The Vegan Fashion Show in front of a live audience at VegOttawa Fest… before anyone walks the runway, they’ll learn why the future of fashion is vegan, sustainable, and driven by innovation.
For many aspiring models, a casting call typically means waiting in line, walking a few steps, and hoping for a callback.
The Vegan Fashion Show has something very different in mind.
On July 25, 2026, aspiring models from across the Ottawa region will gather at VegOttawa Fest for an audition unlike any other in Canada. Before stepping onto the mock runway, they’ll attend an educational presentation exploring the future of fashion, from the environmental impact of animal agriculture to the next generation of innovative materials reshaping the industry.
Festival attendees won’t just watch a casting. They’ll witness education, advocacy, and fashion come together in real time.
The models selected will earn the opportunity to walk in The Vegan Fashion Show this October 17–18 in Ottawa. This year, The Vegan Fashion Show returns in partnership with the National Women’s Show Ottawa, one of Canada’s largest consumer lifestyle events celebrating fashion, beauty, wellness, travel, food, shopping and entertainment. Approximately 10,800 attendees are expected over the weekend, with hundreds gathering to watch The Vegan Fashion Show each day as innovative vegan and sustainable fashion takes centre stage.
More Than a Model Casting
Model castings are usually private. They happen behind closed doors and focus almost entirely on appearance and runway technique.
The Vegan Fashion Show has been reimagining that process since its very first event.
The idea was born long before the first runway was ever built. While completing her second degree—a Bachelor of Environmental Studies—founder and producer Vikki Lenola developed the concept as part of her senior thesis. As a professional model herself, she understood why model castings generate excitement.
“So,” she recalls thinking, “rather than asking people to attend an environmental lecture, why not bring environmental education into something people already wanted to attend?”
That philosophy has shaped every Vegan Fashion Show since. Past participants have enjoyed complimentary plant-based food, prizes, valuable networking opportunities, and the chance to be featured in internationally recognized magazines.
The organization’s first event was recognized by Fashion Week Online for its outside-the-box approach, using fashion to help drive culture toward compassion and setting the tone for what has become one of Canada’s most distinctive educational fashion initiatives.
Instead of simply selecting models, each casting becomes an opportunity to introduce participants to issues that are often missing from conversations about sustainable fashion.
The Missing Conversation in Sustainable Fashion
The fashion industry has made significant progress in recent years.
Consumers increasingly recognize recycled fibres, upcycled garments and circular design. Yet one of fashion’s largest environmental impacts is still often overlooked: the role of animal agriculture.
According to the United Nations, livestock production is responsible for a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions while also heavily contributing to deforestation, biodiversity loss, water pollution and freshwater consumption.
For The Vegan Fashion Show, sustainability isn’t only about recycling materials after production. It’s also about questioning what materials we choose in the first place.
That perspective is one reason the organization has attracted international media attention, with features in publications including Forbes, Vogue, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Fashion Week Online, OK Magazine, TRT World, and more.
“We’re not a vegan club,” says Vikki Lenola. “We’re building bridges between communities. We bring together fashion lovers, aspiring models, designers, environmental advocates and curious consumers because real change happens when people who wouldn’t normally meet begin learning from one another.”
Fashion’s Next Generation Is Already Here
One of the show’s defining characteristics is introducing audiences to materials they often haven’t seen before.
While many consumers are familiar with traditional leather alternatives, innovation has accelerated dramatically over the past few years.
The Vegan Fashion Show has built a reputation for introducing audiences to next-generation materials years before they become widely recognized. Previous editions featured precision-fermented silk by AMSilk, which has since appeared in a Balenciaga collection, and Savian by BioFluff—a biodegradable, plastic-free faux fur made entirely from plants—which recently debuted on the Louis Vuitton runway. The organization has even helped designers gain access to some of the world’s first plastic-free leather alternatives by providing hard-to-obtain material samples for exploration and design. Visitors this October can once again expect to discover emerging animal-free materials alongside established sustainable fashion brands.
Among the first confirmed designers is Euroglam, returning to showcase its elegant cork accessories. Cork is harvested from the bark of cork oak trees without cutting the trees down, allowing forests to continue capturing carbon while providing a renewable alternative to animal leather.
Joining the runway for the first time is Kimonoir, a Canadian label that transforms reclaimed textiles into striking jackets and wearable art. Every piece is thoughtfully upcycled and animal-free, demonstrating that beautiful fashion doesn’t require newly manufactured fabrics—or animal-derived materials—to make a statement.
Additional designers and next gen material innovations will be announced in the lead-up to the October shows.
Behind the scenes, Co-Producer Jessica Embro has been working tirelessly to bring together sponsors that further enhance the experience for both models and audiences. Models attending the July casting will have the chance to win gift baskets from Naturally Wyld and more. Those selected for the October runway will once again be glammed up by returning sponsor Cheekbone Beauty, an Indigenous-owned company known for its clean, vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics.
Festival and Event Partnerships That Benefit Everyone
The partnership with VegOttawa Fest represents another example of thinking differently about activism.
Rather than hosting a casting independently, The Vegan Fashion Show has integrated it into one of Ottawa’s largest celebrations of vegan living.
Festival attendees gain front-row access to a live model audition after watching an educational presentation. Aspiring models receive networking opportunities, prizes, plant-based refreshments and professional development alongside the chance to earn a place on the October runway.
The festival also reaches an audience that might never have considered attending a fashion event, while The Vegan Fashion Show introduces new visitors to VegOttawa Fest. People may come for modelling but leave having explored more than 60 exhibitors showcasing vegan food, ethical businesses and sustainable products. Also new to VegOttawa Fest this year is a fitness competition, and an art exhibit with 25% of proceeds being donated to organizations that help animals.
The October partnership with the National Women’s Show continues that bridge-building approach by introducing vegan and sustainable fashion to thousands of visitors who may never have attended a vegan event. As one of Canada’s largest consumer lifestyle shows, it offers shopping, entertainment, beauty, wellness, travel, food, and more under one roof. In turn, The Vegan Fashion Show brings a fun, educational fashion experience featuring innovation in fashion and fresh, valuable perspectives on sustainability, creating an experience neither event could offer on its own.
Why This Matters for the Future of Fashion
The global fashion industry is changing rapidly.
According to the nonprofit Textile Exchange, brands continue to increase investment in preferred fibres and lower-impact materials as consumer demand for sustainability grows. At the same time, researchers and startups are developing next-generation animal-free materials derived from everything from agricultural waste to plant fibres and precision fermentation.
For consumers, these innovations mean more choices than ever before.
For aspiring models and designers, they represent an opportunity to be part of a new chapter in fashion.
The Vegan Fashion Show aims to ensure those entering the industry understand not only what these innovations are, but why they matter.
How to Audition
Aspiring models interested in walking in The Vegan Fashion Show this fall can apply now to audition at VegOttawa Fest. Models must be registered to audition.
Model Casting
- Date: Saturday, July 25, 2026
- Time: 4:00–6:00 p.m.
- Location: Ottawa Conference and Event Centre
- Admission: Free for all through VegOttawa Fest. Friends and family are also free to tag along!
Selected models will join The Vegan Fashion Show runway October 17-18, 2026, helping showcase a future where fashion, creativity and compassion move forward together.
Applications are now open at TheVeganFashionShow.org/Apply.
