That is the question for most fledgling vegans upon the evaluation of their wardrobe. Do you immediately throw out the non-vegan items you have always owned? Or do cease to buy new animal made items and slowly phase out the old as they go out of style or fall apart? I personally found myself doing the later, but many vegans will tell you differently.
Alright lets back the tofu train up for a minute. How about we start with the basics, as not to confuse.
What clothing materials are considered “Not-Vegan?”
Good question hypothetical blog reader!
- Fur
- Leather
- Wool
- Silk
- Down/Feathers
- Snakeskin, Alligator, etc.
Why are these materials un-vegan?
Fur
The most obvious of all the cruel items. Most fur comes from animals kept on fur farms. These animals are kept in tiny cages for all of their lives, and denied the ability to perform their most basic instinctual behavior such as grooming, exercise and proper nutrition. The fur industry is completely self regulated which results in overcrowding, abuse, malnutrition and faulty “extermination” procedures. These procedures include breaking necks and anally electrocuting rabbits, chinchillas, foxes, minks, raccoons, and many, many other types of animals. Some animals are caught in traps in the wild and left to suffer for days on end until they are finally retrieved and skinned alive.
Leather
Leather is an industry tied in directly with factory farms. If you are not supporting factory farms because of environmental or ethical concerns, then you should not be buying leather. Cows in factory farms are crowded and tortured. Factory farms waste incredible amounts of resources such as water, corn and soy. They pollute the environment with herbicides, pesticides, toxic chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, and greenhouse gasses. The leather that humans wear are saturated with toxic chemicals that prevent the flesh from rotting away in their closets.
Wool
Wool is a tricky one. Although the sheep are not always killed for their wool, they are forced to live in a manner they would not typically live in. The main problem with wool originates in Australia, where the practice of mulesing is extremely common.
Mulesing is a gruesome procedure in which farmers flip lambs onto their backs, restrain them between metal bars, and use gardening shears to cut huge chunks of flesh from their rumps without any painkillers whatsoever. Mulesing is a cheap, crude attempt to create smooth, scarred skin that is resistant to blowfly maggots which can eat sheep alive. However, the enormous, bloody wounds can attract the very flies the procedure is supposed to repel, and lambs sometimes get flystrike before they even heal from the traumatic ordeal.
-savethesheep.com
While these practices are common in 80% of Australian wool production, it is almost always impossible to know where your wool item has originated from.
Silk
While people do tend to disregard the smallest living things by saying we have “gone to far” or are “overthinking” our vegan philosophy. Just think about this: Thousands of silk worms are boiled alive to produce even the tiniest amount of silk. In my mind that is wasteful, disgusting, and incredibly cruel. Especially when synthetic silks are just as nice as the real thing.
Down/Feathers
Most down is plucked from live geese. They re-grow their feathers after five weeks and then are ran through the plucking machines again. (Imagine a machine ripping all of the hairs out of your head.) After all of this they are sent to the slaughterhouse.
Snakeskin, and various other exotic skins
A large percentage of exotic skins come from endangered animals captured by poachers who have no regard for the animal’s humane slaughter. Go here for more info on the different types of animals commonly used and their typical treatment.
What to do with the fur you own
I think fur is one item that should absolutely be eliminated from everyone’s wardrobe. Vegan or not. The sheer concept of wearing the coat of another living being purely for fashion is repulsive. If you own fur and have just transitioned to a vegan lifestyle, I would suggest never wearing that item again. It is a showy and blatant disrespect for animals. It sets a bad standard and may confuse some people as to what veganism is all about. You can donate it to PETA’s anti-fur campaign and help keep the homeless warm at night.
What to do with the other animal products you own
Parting with your whole wardrobe at one time and buying a whole new one is not rational, economical, or environmentally friendly. If you choose to go that route- more power to you. Another option is to slowly phase out your old duds with new cruelty free ones.
While you are making this transitions, make sure you donate everything to the local Goodwill, Salvation Army, or homeless shelter to clothe the less fortunate. Perhaps you think that if these items are being reused that it defeats the purpose of advocating a cruelty-free lifestyle. However, if you throw your leather boots away, that animal would have died in vain. While if you donate to a charitable cause then that skin is being recycled and providing a human with an comfort they wouldn’t have otherwise had.
Places to find hot new animal-free gear
http://www.alternativeoutfitters.com
http://www.veganchic.com
http://www.vegetarianbelts.com
http://www.stellamccartney.com
http://www.minkshoes.com
http://www.beyondskin.co.uk
http://www.bboheme.com
http://www.mooshoes.com
http://www.mattandnat.com
http://www.ragazzivegan.com
http://www.nimli.com
http://www.shopmelie.com
http://www.mohop.com/