According to a study conducted in 2016 by Harris Interactive, some 4% of the French population said they were vegan, that is to say, completely do without any product of animal origin, whether in their diet, their wardrobe or their accessories and other cosmetics. This practice, which remains in the minority, questions a part of public opinion who sees it as a form of archaism or even sectarianism. In an attempt to break with some of these clichés, Alexis Garcia strives to present this practice in a new light. Interview with the latter, publishing director and founder of the site Veganmagazine.fr and culture v.a biannual magazine which presents itself as the “new magazine of lifestyle ethics and vegan“.
What can we find in this new magazine?
We find a bit of everything that we generally find in a magazine lifestyle but with a certain added value, that is to say that we will put ethics and veganism at the center. Despite the angle vegan, it is still aimed at everyone: there is fashion, food, travel, social issues, etc. The common thread is clearly the veganism, but I tried to address everyone. It's not a magazine that points fingers, that makes you feel guilty, it's a magazine that makes suggestions and is positive. Veganism can take various forms, but I want to talk about “mine”, my personal experience, which is peaceful and a source of joy. I also wanted to highlight all the entrepreneurs who create incredible things and put a lot of heart into their work. For me, it's the only magazine in France that has this angle: vegan are not necessarily all activists, we must highlight the experience of everyday life.
I think veganism in the future should be completely normalized.”
The subject of veganism will it allow you to last over time?
I think veganism in the future should be completely normalized. In several decades, I hope that this will be a practice which will no longer even have a name and which will have become part of customs. I also think that the innovative dimension in veganism is very important, whether in fashion or in food for example, and that this will allow the movement to last over time and to reinvent itself.
What can motivate you to adopt a vegan approach?
Motivations can be very different from one individual to another and this is also what I would like to highlight in the magazine. You can be vegan, vegan in relation to animal cause, but it can be for environmental reasons, health reasons to move towards more natural food. You can be vegan by eating fast food, For example. There are many different approaches.
I respect individual approaches.”
To attract readers and inform them, what are the highlights of this issue?
You use the term “take away” but I’m not particularly keen on taking people away. I really respect individual approaches, so it’s very varied. There are recipes, interviews of people who are making the movement today in France, like Les Nouveaux Fermiers who are creating alternatives to meat, etc. I want to have all the dimensions of the lifestyle remaining in the proposition. There are also societal reflections and broader questions, challenges, which must coexist with this aspect lifestyle, a little lighter. I've been vegan for more than ten years, it's a thoughtful approach, but at the same time, I'm not just that.
The choice to talk about veganism through the prism of lifestyle is a real bias. Where did this idea come from?
Veganism is a philosophy but also, more concretely, a way of life. I think that in France there was a lack of a publication that shows the best that is being done in this area, people who make efforts, who want more ethics, etc. So I think that veganism and lifestyle mixed benefited from being highlighted in a beautiful, demanding paper publication. Veganmagazine.fr is more in the hard news.
When we read it, we see that we are moving away from the clichés that may persist about veganism. Was it necessary to show something contemporary, trendy?
Yes culture v. will be led to develop certain themes more than in the first issue. In this one, we assumed the urban and trendy side. In future issues, we will not forget that there is a rural veganism, generational veganism, etc. And as I told you, there are many vegans whose lives today are not limited to veganism, who like to treat themselves, go out, go on vacation, etc.
An interview carried out in partnership with France Inter. Listen to the column SocialLab here, or in the player below.
