About

Olsenhaus- Pure Vegan was founded by Elizabeth Olsen in August of 2008 in New York City.

Elizabeth is an outspoken advocate against the use of animals for food, clothing, experimentation and entertainment while assisting in movement towards a higher state of consciousness for planet earth and all of mankind. 

Olsenhaus was created to illustrate plundering, cruelty, and greed are not synonymous with true style.The mission was to merge passions for design, fashion, function and being a voice for animals, the environment, transparent business practices and unwavering values in ethical and social responsibilities. By promoting consciousness and awareness Olsenhaus is a pioneer in changing the fashion industry and the mainstream perception of veganism, showing how easy it is to lead a compassionate lifestyle without sacrifice in luxury or style.

Today, trailblazing exposure and education on the leather industry and consciousness are the main focus of Olsenhaus.

 

The Company:

By 2010, during the 2nd year in business the line was sold in 16 countries at select retailers, both department stores and boutiques. Notable stores include Nordstrom, Barneys, Fred Segal, Amazon, Brandos, Ekyog and Ron Herman. Olsenhaus is contacted on a daily basis by eco-boutiques that are opening all over the world and proud to be a source of inspiration, a supplier and support to the new wave of retailers.

Olsenhaus and Elizabeth have received extensive press both domestically and internationally, from print media- Vogue, Marie Claire, In style, Oprah, Lucky, Nylon, Paper, The New York Times, The Wall St Journal and many more… 

Network television spots and guest appearances include Bravo’s The Fashion Show with Isaac Mizrahi, TV Guide’s The Fashion Team with Colbie Cailet, E!Entertainment with Daily Candy, CBS’s The Price is RightDCTV-Dutch Network, and NBC.

Celebrity clients include: Cameron Diaz, Anne Hathaway, Emily Deschanel, Gwyneth Paltrow,  Alicia Silverstone, Colbie Cailet, Ally Sheedy and Persia White to name a few.  

Elizabeth also works on collaborations with various designers, acts as a judge in design competitions and creates design competitions for institutions, inspiring students to use sustainable, cruelty/animal free materials in their collections for a better future. For 3 consecutive years, she judged the Humane Society's annual Cool VS. Cruel anti-fur competition with students from The Art Institutes and created a competition for Pratt Design Institute in Brooklyn, NY. She has given dozens of interviews to students regarding vegan-ism, materials, manufacturing and business in general.

Olsenhaus has been displayed in museums and Elizabeth interviewed and has spoken on the fashion industry, leather and consciousness.

Olsenhaus works with and donates to the country's leading animals rights organizations for education and rescue. The company has donated product to hundreds of animal organization for fundraising events.

 

Shoes on display in Netherlands-Dutch Leather and Shoe Museum-Nederlands Leder en Schoenen:

 

To Read interviews or hear radio/podcasts, click on the link below:

  

Interviews Animal Organizations Olsenhaus in Museums
Print: Farm Sanctuary Schoenen Museum- Dutch Shoe & Leather Museum, Netherlands
Thrive Magazine Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary
Coco Eco CJ Acres- Animal Farm Rescue  
Vegetarian Times Mercy for Animals Copper Hewitt-Sustainable Design Exhibit, NYC
TimeOut New York Sea Shepard  
VEGA New York Coalition for Healthy School Food  
Consciousarus-in Hotel magazine Peta  
Footwear Plus The Humane Society  
The Looking Glass COK-Compassionover Killing  
Daily-Coterie PCRM-Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine  
Carbon    
Zooey Speaking Engagements  
Ponte Vedra Living Green Nation Fest- Rio, Brazil  
  The Seed- NYC, NY  
Radio/Podcasts: Sustainatopia- Miami, Fl  
Multible interviews-Olsenhaus on YouTube Green Festival- Union Square, NYC,NY  
The Marilu Henner Show Pratt/Farm Sanctuary/Olsenhaus event- NYC,NY  
Our Hen House  Grand Rapids Vegfest, MI  
Women in Business- w/Ginger Burr  Northeast Florida Vegfest, Fl  
Sexy Vegan    

 

Background:

Elizabeth has led a lifestyle of health and wellness for over 20 years, first vegetarian for 19 years, then vegan since 2008. She has studied Metaphysics and Theology all her life. 

Elizabeth holds 2 degrees,one from FIT in NYC in Accessories Design, and a Liberal Arts Degree from University of Florida. At FIT she learned the craft of pattern-making, and all accessory construction. At UF she studied printmaking, sculpture and art history. Her experience in the industry honed her knowledge of business, management, creation of brand, imaging and marketing. She has lived and worked on both coasts, as well as crisscrossed the globe extensively for work and pleasure to all throughout Europe, South America, Africa, and all of Asia.

Notable positions from her professional career have included the Creative Director for Tommy Hilfiger handbags, and Creative Direction and Design for Calvin Klein, Bulga, Nine West, Anne Klein, Jodi Arnold and many others. She also had a career as a wardrobe and prop stylist in film, commercials and print for clients- Nike, Nike Goddess, IBM, Nissan, Corbis and Universal Studios to name a few. In addition, she held the position of Producer and Head of Wardrobe for the photography agency Superstock, managing photo shoots, casting, locations and setting up a temporary studio in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Previous to working in fashion and as a stylist, she was an artist and briefly a model.

The Olsenhaus Story:

As a small child, Elizabeth realized there was odd behavior in the way humans connected with and treated animals. Upon seeing a pamphlet from PETA on vivisection, she empathized deeply, feeling the fear, agony and pain from the living being that was being tortured. She chose not to live in denial.

This started the quest for as much information as was available on how animals were being used in laboratories, factory farms, circuses, zoos, fur farms and the list goes on and on. Astonished these crimes against living beings were taking place, she started the first animal rights club at her college preparatory high school in Florida to spread the truth and work towards ending these atrocities. This was only the beginning.

During her career she traveled extensively. As a creative director she traveled to factories and tanneries, where she personally witnessed and researched the process of tanning animal hides. She discovered the horrific devastating environmental pollution of the leather industry, deathly hazardous conditions the workers endured and how this industry directly supports the meat and dairy industry.

All of this unconscious behavior is totally unnecessary. 

The Future:

Today,Olsenhaus is run from Florida with representation in New York and Los Angeles, CA. 

Future plans include expanding Olsenhaus into a global lifestyle brand, with expansion into categories of men’s, children’s, clothing, home goods and retail franchises to further promote universal truth, compassion and consciousness.

Currently, Eizabeth resides in Florida, traveling as need be for Olsenhaus, while working on a book and a documentary due out in 2015/2016.

Personal future plans include the continued practice of meditation, vinyasa and bikram yoga. Building a completely environmentally friendly home, creating a family, including adopting children and more rescue animals.