Linda Bishop, the founder of vegan and cruelty-free tattoo parlor Koneko Studio, wants to inspire a vegan movement in the ink industry.
Whilst some ink used for tattoos is vegan-friendly, there are ink brands that use animal products and/or test on animals. Ointments and other items used in the process of tattooing are not always cruelty-free, either. However, at Koneko Studio, everything is vegan-friendly. “We’re giving people the opportunity to not have to do that research,” Bishop told D Magazine. “They’re able to come in and know that everything we sell is vegan and cruelty-free.” The studio also sells vegan goods, such as beauty, bath, and body products. Bishop eventually aims to open a separate shop for these products, as well as vegan clothing and accessories.
Bishop opened the cruelty-free studio in 2017, because she felt something was missing from the previous parlors she worked in. “I was just over the drugs and tattooing until three in the morning,” she explained. “Working in very reputable, very popular, but scummy places. I wanted to be able to open my own place and do everything myself.” And her efforts have paid off; Bishop’s personal Instagram account has accumulated 132,000 followers, and her studio has a fan base all over the world.
But, despite this success, Bishop and her team aren’t satisfied just yet. The Koneko Studio staff, which includes microblading and piercing specialists, want to inspire many more parlors and beauty salons to follow in their footsteps. “I’ve already noticed other tattoo artists, lash artists, or piercers that I follow starting to promote vegan and cruelty-free services, even if their whole studio isn’t,” Bishop stated. “We hope that we’re going to start a movement.”
Bishop isn’t the only tattoo artist promoting vegan products and a cruelty-free approach. Kat Von D, a celebrity tattoo artist, businesswoman, and makeup artist, has long championed veganism in the beauty and tattooing industries. The star has released many brand-new vegan products with her beauty line, Kat Von D Beauty, over recent months, including limited edition lipstick, brow kits, and long lasting liquid eyeliner. The star has even offered her voice to new animal rights documentary ‘Dominion,’ alongside celebrities such as Sadie Sink, Joaquin Phoenix, and Rooney Mara. Director Chris Delforce said Von D is a “great advocate for animals” and he is “so proud to have [her] on board.”
