Each year on April 17th, we honor one of the most misunderstood and mysterious creatures of the night: the bat. At Vampfangs and Velvet & Vein, our world has always been shaped by shadows, myth, and transformation.
So naturally, National Bat Appreciation Day is more than a calendar note. It’s a celebration of everything we hold sacred: beauty in darkness, power in flight, and the elegance of the unseen.
Bats and the Legacy of the Vampire
The connection between bats and vampire folklore is timeless. From Bram Stoker’s Dracula to modern gothic media, the bat has come to symbolize metamorphosis, seduction, and the quiet power of the night.
But long before fiction took flight, real bats were already cloaked in centuries of myth; seen by some cultures as omens, by others as guardians of the afterlife.
To us, bats are more than symbols. They are gothic icons. They carry the same mystique, resilience, and duality that defines our aesthetic... fierce yet fragile, beautiful yet feared.
Nature’s Nocturnal Masterpiece 
Bats are among the most unique and vital creatures on Earth. With more than 1,400 species worldwide, they range from the delicate bumblebee bat to the awe-inspiring flying fox.
They navigate through echolocation, rest upside-down, and serve essential roles in our ecosystems - pollinating plants, dispersing seeds, and controlling insect populations naturally.
They are creatures of balance, existing in the in-between: light and dark, feared and revered, real and otherworldly.
From Wing to Wardrobe: Fashion Inspired by Flight
Bats have long inspired gothic fashion, and that influence continues to echo throughout our collections.
Flowing capes, bat-wing silhouettes, and delicate lace mimic the graceful movement of wings. Intricate jewelry, like our bat motif earrings, silver cuffs, and winged statement pieces, honor their form with elegance and power.
Whether it’s a velvet choker or an embroidered bodice, every detail carries intention. Every wing, a whisper of the wild.
Protecting the Night
Despite their beauty and importance, bats face real threats- habitat loss, changes in climate, and harmful myths have endangered populations across the globe. Today is a reminder not just to celebrate them, but to protect them.
Here are a few ways you can help:
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Support organizations like Bat Conservation International, Bat World Sanctuary, or Lubee Bat Conservancy
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Avoid pesticides and chemicals in your gardens
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Install a bat house to provide safe roosting spaces
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Share facts, not fear—most bats don’t carry rabies and play a key role in keeping our ecosystems balanced
Celebrate With Us
To mark National Bat Appreciation Day, we invite you to step into the night with intention. Whether you're donning a bat-winged cape, layering silver jewelry shaped like flight, or simply learning more about these magical creatures, you're part of the celebration.
📸 Tag us in your bat-inspired looks. We’d love to see how you honor the beauty of the nocturnal.
Long Live the Night
In the end, bats remind us that the dark isn’t something to fear, it’s something to revere. Like the gothic spirit that defines us, they are graceful, misunderstood, and impossibly powerful.
So tonight, raise a glass to the bat- the creature that taught us to thrive in the shadows, to find beauty in flight, and to embrace the mystery.