June 2008
Although more of us are thinking about animal welfare when we shop, it’s still pretty low down on the fashion industry’s agenda. Unlike fair trade or organic food, there are few labelling or accreditation schemes. So it’s tricky for designers to source animal-friendly materials, or for shoppers to spot the ‘kindest’ products.
But while ‘animal-friendly’ is yet to enter the mainstream, some shops and designers are leading the pack.
Animal by-products
Marks & Spencer is extending its welfare standards from food to clothes. So now you can buy cruelty-free sandals as well as sandwiches! The retailer now only stocks clothes containing animal products if they’re a by-product of other processes (for example, meat production), arguing that animals should never be killed just for their skin. M&S has also banned the use of endangered species, and no longer stocks Indian leather following concerns about the transportation of cows.
And Topshop is looking closely at its leather products and supply chain.
Start with your shoes
Shoes are an easy place to start building an animal-friendly wardrobe. Celebrity veggie-shoe wearers include Gwyneth Paltrow, Thandie Newton and Joaquin Phoenix, who insisted that the cowboy boots he wore in ‘Walk the Line’ were vegetarian. At the top of the range, Stella McCartney’s leather-free shoes adorn the feet of multiple A-listers.
Natalie Portman is a fan of Beyond Skin, which has a beautiful, cruelty-free shoe collection. They aren’t cheap, but they’re exquisitely made from fabrics ranging from scarlet glitter to cream brocade, and can last for years.
Clothing firm Terra Plana won the Observer Ethical Fashion Product of the Year 2007 for shoes made using a variety of eco-friendly materials. This season’s collection includes funky high heels made from recycled yogurt pots (you’d never know!) and soles produced from recycled foam. The company has also pioneered ‘e-leather’, a material that blends leather off-cuts and textile fibres and is almost indistinguishable from normal leather.
For casual wear, try Vans’ new jute espadrilles, which are free of animal products.
Worn Again shoes and trainers are made from recycled materials such as leather from car seats, seatbelts, parachute silk and tweed jackets. And the soles are made from bicycle tyres and recycled rubber. Despite David Cameron wearing them for a photo shoot, they’re utterly cool!
Several sports brands have started taking animal welfare issues seriously, too, although they don’t major in them. This may be because it’s difficult to accredit all parts of the trainer supply chain as vegan (animal products in glues are apparently hard to avoid). Adidas’ Stella McCartney range of performance sports clothes and shoes is "100% cruelty free", and the accessories made with leather-alternative, high-performance fabrics. This season Adidas has also launched Grün: a new 'eco-friendly' range made from recycled and natural materials, with some shoes labelled ‘vegan’.
Accessories
Look out for animal-friendly accessories as well. Stussy has a fab range of affordable cotton and denim handbags and wallets. Matt and Nat has a growing range of faux leather bags and, if you’ve really got more money than sense, try Vegan Queen - Natalie Portman’s favourite.
For stunning knitwear from guaranteed-happy British sheep, check out Makepiece. Its Pennines-based designers use undyed and naturally dyed wool from their sheep, and other British farms, to knit truly gorgeous creations.
© MMX