Dr Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne
Dr Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne MA PhD is a Senior Lecturer of Fashion Marketing and Enterprise at Torrens University Australia. Her research examines the relationship between veganism and fashion consumption. She has published book chapters and academic papers in high-ranking journals and presented at academic conferences in Australia and internationally. She is currently undertaking research in practice through the development of vegan and petroleum-derived-materials-free award-winning (Vegpreneur 2025) brand Les Plantes which shown for the first time at the 2025 Melbourne Fashion Week.
www.rachellamarche.com/
Fashion, Animals and the Ethics of What We Wear
This talk considers how historical and ongoing animal use within fashion has shaped our engagement with such durable products and asks what becomes possible when we look more closely at the object biographies of what we wear. Recent shifts away from fur and exotic skins will be discussed through the context of activism, as well as how these changes reveal a growing awareness of animal suffering and public willingness to challenge long‑standing ideas of luxury. Within this, other materials such as wool and leather will also be discussed.
The session will then introduce research-in-practice project Les Plantes that tests how premium fashion might develop without relying on animal bodies and without petroleum derived fibers. The brand offers a lens through which to investigate and test the greater topic of plant-based textiles and haberdashery. Along the way, the talk will invite further questions about sustainability, material innovation and other ethics that shape how we dress.
