Five reasons to make the switch to vegan fashion
It's the hottest trend in the fashion world – but vegan fashion is proving to be more than a passing fad. In the UK alone, brands saw a 43% increase in products labelled as “vegan”. As information on the production of animal skins becomes more readily available, more and more people are choosing to turn away from leather, fur, wool, down and other animal-derived materials.
There are many reasons to choose vegan fashion – these five are just the start.
Why choose vegan fashion
Animals are “someone”, not “something”
Did you know that geese mate for life, and if a goose gets ill, her mate will stay by her side even if their flock flies to a different destination? Did you know cows can hold grudges against other cows who have treated them badly? And you may note be aware that crocodiles are actually very playful and easily make friends with other species.
Animals have personalities and they're individuals – something that everyone who lives with cats or dogs already knows. But the animals used for fashion don't get to have any semblance of a normal life – they are often subjected to factory farming, held captive in abysmal conditions, and killed in ways we wouldn't wish on our worst enemy.
If we claim to love – or even just respect – animals, it doesn't make any logical sense to choose to inflict harm on them when we absolutely do not have to.
Animal agriculture is killing the planet, and fashion is part of that
A United Nations Report confirms that livestock production is one of the leading causes of the climate crisis – animal agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, air and soil pollution, and loss of biodiversity, to name a few. Rearing cattle produces more greenhouse gases than cars.
We need to stop pretending that fashion isn't part of it – the leather industry, for example, exists for its own business reasons, not to avoid waste from the meat trade. Often, leather is more expensive than meat, and supporting this industry props up meat consumption and drives the killing of more animals and the devastation of the environment.
Wearing animals could harm our health
During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous nations that produce fur, including Spain, Sweden, Denmark, the US and the Netherlands – saw outbreaks of COVID on fur farms. This led to temporary closure of many farms, and the Netherlands even brought forward their planned closure of fur farms from 2024 to 2020, permanently ending their fur-farming industry.
Experts found a connection between the exotic-skins industry and pandemic risks: keeping animals captive in such cramped conditions, making it easy for blood and bodily fluids to mix, is a perfect breeding ground for pathogens.
Apple leather is cooler than cows' skins
Fashion has always been about what's new and progressive – and there is nothing either new or progressive about draping ourselves in the skins of dead animals, which is why the overwhelming majority of all material innovation in the fashion industry is vegan.
Whether it's leather made from apples, grapes or cacti; wool made from hemp or flowers; or silk crafted from trees, bamboo or orange peel – if it's new, it's pretty much certain to be vegan.
It's just more stylish
Gone are the days when vegans had to wear shiny, sticky “pleather” or carry shapeless canvas tote bags. Today's vegan fashion is as covetable for its look as its ethical credentials – and sometimes, a vegan design outdoes mainstream fashion when it comes to desirability: Stella McCartney's iconic Falabella bag, seen on the arms of celebs across the globe, is proof. As is the bestselling WEEK/END Crossbody Bag by Frida Rome in sumptuous cactus leather (which won investment on Dragon’s Den this year).
At Immaculate Vegan we pride ourselves on finding and curating the most desirable ethical and sustainable brands that are out there today – and with over 100 brands and 3000 beautiful items to choose from, we show that it’s possible to combine great style, high quality and immaculate ethics. Brands now understand that to win over the finicky fashion industry, the products have to rank high in the style stakes. As a result vegan fashion looks better than ever.
By Sascha Camilli for Immaculate Vegan. You can also follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Special Offer! DR.VEGAN readers can get 15% OFF their first order from Immaculate Vegan. Just add code DRVEGAN15 at checkout at www.immaculatevegan.com.
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