After Daniele Madonia and Clemens Kholbacher randomly met each other by chance at a local bar in their hometown of Austria, their passion for veganism and fair fashion inspired them to create, Dan & Méz. Dan & Méz offer chic and timeless watches that are 100% sustainable and vegan. Dan and Méz challenges the status quo and tackle the unethical policies of the leather industry. Their products have also been featured in GQ, InStyle, and Ecocult. Daniele and Clemens are determined to change the whole leather industry and establish vegan & eco friendly leather as the new norm. Check out our interview with Daniele and Clemens for a deeper understanding of the brand, the inspirations behind it, and what they hope to achieve with Dan & Méz.

Where are you based?
Graz, Austria.

What inspired you to create the brand, Dan & Méz? Why did you want to focus on vegan watches?
The leather and fur industry is one of the dirtiest and most unethical. I thought it was time for a change. There have to be better and more ethical ways than using animal skin. It is not only unethical but also very bad for the environment. As a watch lover myself, I see a growing demand for watches but unfortunately, there were no brands out there that meet my requirements. So I decided to step in, partner with a UK based company called Ananas Anam and challenge the status quo.

Jejune loves how your products are 100% sustainable and vegan. Why is this important to you?
We only have one planet, hence we should take care of it. Long enough we have been treating it very badly and various ways. Now it is time for change, because we ourselves already have to deal with the consequences. Being 100% sustainable is more of a vision statement than anything. Because there will always be ways to be more sustainable ways to live and that is what the strive for. Constantly improving our products when it comes to sustainability, quality and longevity.

It is really cute that you two met over pina coladas and now pineapples are so important to your business! Have you both always had a love for pineapples? What made you decide to work with Pinatex?
Haha yeah since Daniele and I have been vegans ourselves for couple of years now we definitely share a love for pineapples – and other fruits as well! Currently pinatex is one of the best materials for us to use when it comes to ethics. But we are already working on new alternatives and improvements. On the one hand there will a new version of pinatex making it even longer lasting than before. On the other hand we are working on leather materials evolving around cactus, grapes, apples and mushrooms.

What inspirations did you draw from to create the styles and designs of your watches?
When it comes to design we strive for a classic and timeless look. We want our products to last and communicate that via our design.

What potential change do you hope to accomplish in the leather industry?
Starting with watches we definitely want to challenge to big players like Daniel Wellington. Step by step we want to cover more parts of the market, forcing other companies to change as well.

With all the flux leather options out there, do you think we will start to see less real leather used in the future?
For sure. Veganism itself is such a fast-growing trend looking back at the past 10 years alone. More and more people are realizing what impact they have depending on what products are buying. There are already many (fashion) companies forced to change their way of manufacturing products and the materials they use because of the rise of veganism.

We also love that you are part of the Save the Planet Program. Can you tell us a little bit about this organization and why you got involved?
We are involved in it because we like collaborating with other companies and organizations striving for similar goals. Together we are stronger and change will take faster.

Covid has been hard on small businesses. How has your business been impacted in light of the pandemic? What strategies or changes did you have to make moving forward?
Covid definitely has impacted us badly in the first months. But every crisis also offers opportunities for growth. We learned from this lessons and are actually grateful for it. Covid might be bad for a lot of people but it also woke many of us up when it comes to our core values. Business-wise we took some time to reflect and invest more time into planning and strategy work.

How have you both been staying positive during shelter in place?
We certainly have been. Having a positive mindset and outlook on life has been key for building this brand.

What are your mottos in life?
Be the change you want to see in the world.

To learn more about Dan & Méz, please follow them via the below platforms:
Main website and shop: https://danandmez.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/danandmez
Facebook: https://facebook.com/danandmez

Dan & Méz Exudes Luxury & Sustainability