Red Planet by Truth Belts

There’s some truth to these stylishly fabulous belts, they are cruelty-free and vegan.  Truth Belts owner, Renia Pruchinick, tells the story of how it all began.

“My background was as a technical designer of backpacks and skiwear and luggage…So, I was familiar with all these materials and had never used leather before.”

YingYang Belt by Truth Belts

Renia Pruchnicki has a degree in fashion design from Ryerson University.  In 2001 she lost her job as a designer.  It was then that Truth Belts was founded.  She enrolled a self-employment program offered by the government and set up shop.  But it didn’t come without challenges, “When I first started I didn’t have any money and all the sales I made had to be reinvested back into the company,” she said.  Indeed, it took her 2 1/2 years before she even made a profit.  But she never thought about quitting.  She took a full time job and then worked on her business after work until she could afford to work at her company full time.

Today, Truth Belts is flourishing.  In addition to belts, Truth now offers a line of bamboo t-shirts, wristlets, and jewellery.  Pruchnicki is one proud woman.  She admits, despite the hard work, her long days are pleasurable.  She says “I wanted to create a life for myself that I loved…I love designing products. I’m naturally good at it and I always enjoyed doing it.”

And she has some advice for potential entrepreneurs: “Don’t let other people stop you. You have to follow your heart in life and live your truth.”

I think that is truthfully, one perfect piece of advice.

via thestar.com

You can shop for these or any of Truth Belts at vegetarianbelts.com