"I wanted to remove some of the stereotypes of strict, joyless, boring vegans who don't really care about fashion," Camilli says.

She says is it was important to be honest about her own struggles with becoming vegan, especially clearing her wardrobe of wool, which she found was in so many garments, even at single-digit percentages.

"Even in high-street clothing you find a sweater with 8 per cent wool, they can put it in to say 'wool blend' to sound more exclusive," she says.

Camilli is part of a growing number of "cool vegans" who are working to change veganism's image one plant-based shoe at a time. At the core of her philosophy is an ethos that it's OK to dip your (pleather-clad) toe into veganism without taking a scorched-earth approach.

"My advice to people is not to get rid of everything [they own that's non-vegan]; that is such a wasteful way of doing things," she says. "You can continue wearing it until it falls apart and then go buy vegan."

Latest figures show veganism in Australia is climbing, with the value of the vegan food market set to climb to $215 million by 2020, an increase of $80 million compared to 2016 figures. A spokesman for Vegan Australia estimated there are up to 500,000 full-time vegans in Australia.

It’s now cool to wear things that have values and people can care about ... Consumers want to know you stand for something.

Stef Dadon, Twoobs co-founder

And while it's hard to quantify the number of vegan lifestyle brands in Australia, anecdotal evidence points to a discernable jump, which is amplified by social media platforms such as Instagram.

On Thursday, animal-rights group PETA scored another win in its battle to convert the world to veganism after Australian fashion companies One Teaspoon and Australian Fashion Labels, which owns C/Meo and Keepsake the Label among others, announced they were stopping their use of cashmere.

But adopting a vegan lifestyle isn't always as straightforward as replacing animal-derived materials for non-animal ones.

Loading

Alison Gwilt, associate professor of design at the University of NSW, says consumers needed to educate themselves on whether they were making better environmental choices as well as ethical ones.

"Vegan doesn't always mean ethical or eco-friendly," she says. "Traditionally, vegan leathers or fake furs are made ... with petrochemicals."

Gwilt adds that because so many vegan leather-alternatives and fabrics, such as "pineapple leather" or yarn made from recycled waste, are still relatively new, issues such as durability and wearability are not fully resolved.

"Can bio-fibres withstand the same wear and tear as other vegan type products – that's been a strength of the petrochemical vegan materials," she says.

Producing vegan fashion that doesn't harm the earth has been an ongoing mission for designers Jess and Stef Dadon and their shoe brand, Twoobs.

The pair, who expanded from sandals into sneakers this week, said "vegan" is much less a dirty word in fashion circles than it was when they launched in 2015.

"We were careful calling it a vegan brand to non-vegans," explains Stef Dadon. "We use the term 'animal friendly'. Over the past year we have seen this shift where vegan fashion no longer means drab, boring and earthy tones. It’s now cool to wear things that have values and people can care about ... Consumers want to know you stand for something."

The sisters, who live in Melbourne and are known on social media for their eclectic dress sense, said they have tried to adopt fully vegan wardrobes but that it can be difficult when it comes to things like glues, which can be derived from animals and are often in a "blind spot" in the supply chain.

"We are hardcore animal lovers but we appreciate not everyone is," says Stef Dadon. "If we can introduce a vegan product into their wardrobe with one or two pieces we see that as a win. If they’re going from nothing to dabbling, that’s a win."

Camilli agrees that being a part-time vegan is perfectly OK.

"I don't believe veganism is about personal purity – we have to go back to why we’re doing it … if you say we have 1000 people doing 60 per cent, it’s better than 10 people doing 100 per cent. I welcome all kind of part-time flexitarians ... not only is that a great way to reduce consumption but it’s also an entry-way into full time veganism."

Vegan Style by Sascha Camilli (Murdoch Books, $35) is out on July 1.