You don’t have to go full vegan or vegetarian to get benefits from incorporating some aspects of a plant-based diet and lifestyle into your own. You can think about diet, yes, but there are also considerations to be made with beauty products and fashion.
If you’re considering embracing a vegan or partially-vegan lifestyle, you’ll want to consider buying clothing, accessories and shoes that are free from animal products. This is one simple choice you can make to help you move towards veganism.
Plenty of quality clothing brands create and sell vegan materials, such as vegan leather, fur and silk, as well as cotton, linen, polyester, nylon, hemp and PVC (vinyl). Vegan-friendly materials also aren’t tested on animals. Collectively, this is also known as cruelty-free fashion.
What to eliminate from your wardrobe
According to Green Living Ideas, if you’d like to eliminate all animal byproducts from your wardrobe, consider giving away or selling anything you own that contains:
leather
fur
silk
feathers
bone
horn
shell
wool
cashmere
shearling
angora
shahtoosh
snakeskin
suede (microsuede is animal-free, though)
down
pashmina
mohair
Some people who eliminate the above items from their wardrobe do so to avoid supporting any part of the industries that use animals for profit.
“Like factory farming in the food industry, raising animals for clothing and accessories is often cruel to the animals and harmful to the environment,” Green Living Ideas reported. “Even ‘humanely raised’ animals are kept in captivity and slaughtered years before they would have died naturally, so it’s hard to argue that any animal-based material is truly humane.”
Vegan fashion
Vegan fashion has become so popular that there’s now an annual Vegan Fashion Week.
The “event is designed to empower conscious brands and humans globally with an elevated platform for achievement, inspiration, and discovery,” Vegan Fashion Week’s website reported.
The event is produced and curated by Emmanuelle Rienda, a creative director and animal rights advocate.
The event launched at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles in February of 2019. The event will also take place later this year during October in Los Angeles.
Favorite vegan fashion brands
If you’re interested in adding to or starting a vegan wardrobe, Farm Sanctuary has a comprehensive list of vegan designers, brands, products, and fashion tips. The following are a few of my favorite places to shop.
First, Dr. Martens has a stellar collection of vegan boots. Over the years, I’ve bought two pairs that fit and perform just as well as the company’s traditional leather boots.
I also enjoy Free People’s vegan selection. The eclectic fashion brand curates a wide range of vegan dresses, bottoms, tops, accessories, shoes and beauty products.
ModCloth also has a funky selection of vintage-inspired pieces. The shop tends to be affordable, and its collection changes with the holidays and seasons.
Boody — purveyors of “everyday essentials” — only sells items that are PETA Vegan Approved and certified, which means that the brand doesn’t use any animal products in the production of its garments.
“We work with certified factories and suppliers to produce bamboo-rich clothing, but the bamboo used to produce our fabrics is not the same bamboo that pandas eat,” Boody’s website states. “Meaning no pandas have gone hungry in the creation of our clothing! See info on our EcoCert and FSC certifications to learn more about our bamboo.”
Any brand worrying about panda dinners can take my money!
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Abbie Stutzer is a writer and editor from Lawrence, Kansas. Find her on Twitter at @abbiestutzer and on Insta at @abbiestutzer. Email her at abbie@ynotcam.com.
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