There are two glaringly obvious reasons, in my mind, why animal skin alternatives should be more celebrated: 1) they are cheaper to make, thus cost less for consumers and 2) when you choose to buy faux-leather an animal doesn’t have to give it’s life for you to look stylish. 🙅
It’s really fun for me to show people what ethical fashion options look like. To be honest, so many people are surprised when I say my boots or bag is faux-leather or faux-suede.
With everything glamorous that luxury represents, there is also an ugly side. Most companies do not talk about where they source their leather or the treatment of the people actually assembling their products. That is not the case with Stella McCartney!
Stella McCartney is one of the rare luxury designers who NEVER uses leather or fur. 🐮🐰🐺🦊💕 While not an entirely vegan fashion brand, her full line of clothing, shoes, and accessories are vegetarian! (The vast majority of her items are vegan, but I just wanted to clarify as I’ve seen some claims that the brand is 100% vegan. Last I checked, there were wool and silk items in her clothing line.)
Stella’s brand is pioneering new fabrics every year, including the “non-skin skin” and laboratory made silk (no caterpillars harmed!) 🐛🦋 The company also donates generously to various charities and ecological funding. And unlike many high-priced brands who cut costs (and pocket more profit) by manufacturing in sweatshops, the Stella McCartney main brand is always ethically made. Currently, 76% of their manufacturing and material sourcing is done in Italy. (More information can be found on their website, but I don’t want to bore you guys with the other sustainability details lol.)
If you’re going to invest in a luxury piece of arm-candy, why not put that money towards a brand that is doing something good for the future?
I happen to be a big fan of over the knee boots. Mainly because it means all of my warmer weather skirts can be worn comfortably when the temperature drops. Of course, there’s ZERO need to buy real suede. (It looks better on cows anyway.) Faux suede is far more affordable and durable than the real stuff. If you get some mud or wet snow on faux-suede, it brushes away easily. Just apply a bit of warm water, and, unlike real suede, no stains will linger! You can’t be too precious with your shoes when you are dealing with snow and slush and salt. I live in Canada, so there’s no avoiding messy winter weather.
While I’ve never actually owned a “real” leather pencil skirt, I know two truths about them: 1) you look hot in them 2) your bum and thighs will sweat like all hell after 1 hour of wear.
Let me introduce you to waxed cotton. It has that same “wet seal” look as thin leathers, without the animal cruelty and excessive sweating. (Double win!) In fact, waxed cotton is quite cool to the touch and never makes me overheat. This waxed-cotton pencil skirt is from All Saints, which is a brand highly associated with edgy leather goods. While I wouldn’t ever consider buying one of their leather jackets, it’s nice to see they are working with alternative fabrics for their brand. And that’s something I can get behind!
“Oh, to be as toasty as a melting marshmallow by the fireside.” That is my dream when I’m battling freezing wind and biting snow. I get it. Winter can be COLD AF. For some reason, most consumers think that coats must be made of fur, down or shearling to be winter-wind proof. But I disagree!
There are so many cozy coat options that are made with zero animal materials. Take this ZARA coat for example. (Side note: I have my thoughts on ZARA, but I am including it in this list to show various price points.) It is obviously inspired by the heavily popular ACNE black shearling coat that was absolutely everywhere in 2016 and 2017. I’m sure you’ve seen at least seven bloggers wearing the coat I’m talking about. However, this super-lux and ridiculously warm coat costs a fraction of the designer piece and uses no sheep’s skin.
Of course, if you don’t want to support ZARA, you definitely don’t have to! There are vegan fashion options at every price point. If you are on a tighter budget, brands like ZARA, H&M and Forever 21 offer so many options. (Mainly because synthetics are cheaper than wool so they can price their items lower. But, hey, I think it’s great to have affordable vegan shopping options!) However, if you are looking for an ethically-made or fair-trade coat, I will have a list of brands for you to check out soon!
Ok, so the GUCCI shirt that you’ve been seeing on every fashion blogger is already vegan—it’s made of cotton. But what if you could make it more vegan? What if I told you that it could be even more tongue-in-cheek than it already is? Well, look no further I have the perfect tee for you!
This NOOCH shirt by Sassy Spud is basically me if I was a t-shirt. (For those new to “nooch,” it’s short for Nutritional Yeast. Nooch is a vitamin-D and iron-rich superfood that tastes like parmesan cheese. Yes, really.) If you follow me on Instagram, you are already familiar with my nooch obsession. I put it on popcorn, salad, soups, pasta, pizza… The possibilities are endless. It’s basically the best thing that’s ever happened to me. If you are equally nooch-obsessed, check out more swag from Sassy Spud. I wear a size XS in her tees.
Well, that’s it friends! I’ve reached the end of my vegan fashion list. I hope you enjoyed reading and looking at my funny attempts to model things.