Marc Bouwer shows ethical is fashionable

Marc Bouwer is one of the top fashion designers, known as the man that dresses celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Paris Hilton, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey, his creations add glamour and style to many red carpet events around the world. He is an influential designer in the world of high fashion, so, when he decides to go ethical and stop using any animal skins or products in his designs it’s big news. Bouwer stopped using fur, leather and wool from his collections once he became aware of the horrific conditions the animals were kept in. Thanks to PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals) he saw videos of animals being subjected to the most painful and barbaric treatment, such as conscious cows having their hooves and lips cut off.

This is not an unusual practise in the world of animal farming, this is not some rare occurrence, animals are routinely kept in conditions that cannot be described in any other way but torturous.

Bouwers 100% animal-free clothing line ‘Imitation Is Life’ premiered at New York Fashion Week. Bouwer proved that fashion does not have to be part of the animal trade, fashion can be as glamorous and exciting and beautiful without the cruelty. Hopefully more designers will follow and distance themselves from cruelty and make an ethical statement as well as a fashion statement.

Is ‘ethical’ fashion as ethical as it should be?

I think the growing trend towards purchasing ethical products and garments is fantastic. I hope it is a lasting change rather than a fad. However, I have to take issue with a couple of things. I have noticed that many ‘ethical’ fashion brands and labels use non-animal friendly products, such as silk and leather. None of these are particularly ‘ethical.’ To be honest, wool’s not great either.

Silk is the fibre that silkworms weave to produce cocoons. The process of obtaining silk involves boiling silk cocoons for twenty minutes, until they are soft and opened out. There are many humane alternatives that can be used such as nylon, silk-cotton tree and ceiba tree filaments. At the very least peace silk should be used, which lets the silkworms live out their full cycle. I can appreciate that some brands are recycling old silk garments, to avoid creating more waste, but anything new could be made using other more animal friendly materials.

Billions of animals are killed for their skin every year to produce leather. They are castrated, branded, dehorned and have their tails docked without any anaesthetic, before bleeding to death and being skinned. Most of the leather used in the U.S. and Europe comes from India, China and other countries that have minimal or no animal welfare laws. China is the world’s largest exporter of leather and 2 million cats and dogs in China are killed each year for their skin. The rearing of animals for leather has been linked to climate change, water pollution, land degradation and the reduction of biodiversity. I am aware that some ethical brands use vegetable tanned leather, which is more environmentally friendly than regular leather, but it is still not very ethical.

You might think that wool is pretty innocuous. It’s more than just a haircut for the sheep. Shearers are usually paid by volume so they often work at a fast pace, with no regard for the animal’s welfare. They frequently kick, punch and cut the sheep when shearing them. A large proportion of the world’s wool comes from Australia and New Zealand, where around 140 million sheep per year are subjected to mulesing, whereby shears are used to slice large chunks of skin off the rear ends of live sheep without anaesthetics. Intensive sheep farming is again responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental degradation.

This is all just the tip of the iceberg. I appreciate that ethical fashion does not necessarily mean vegan fashion, but I do think that those producing what they deem to be ethical items, should take the welfare of animals into account. Rearing animals for their skin/wool/fur is not environmentally friendly or ethical, in my opinion.

[via Hippyshopper]

Vegan shoes galore!

Vegan shoes used to be frumpy, clumpy and incredibly unattractive. Those days are thankfully gone and there are now some wonderful vegan footwear brands, producing striking and cruelty free footwear. Many people like the comfort factor and breathability of leather shoes, but unfortunately it's a dirty business. Millions of animals are slaughtered every year for their skin, being subject to castration, branding, dehorning and tail docking (minus anesthetics), before bleeding to death and being skinned. Animal skin is then converted to leather with dangerous chemicals, dyes and other toxins, that are exceedingly harmful to people and the environment. Rearing animals whose skins are eventually transformed into leather uses vast amounts of fossil fuels. Farm animals create large amounts of toxic waste which is absorbed into the ground and surface water, polluting wells and rivers and contributing to global warming. The vast amount of land used for grazing also contributes to a negative environmental impact.

A study carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed that a solvent utilised in tanning leather has been linked with a heightened risk of testicular cancer. Additionally when you buy leather products, you may sometimes be purchasing leather from Asian cat and dog tanneries. For more information see Cowsarecool.com.There is an alternative. Some fantastic vegan footwear brands have emerged that provide stylish and ethical vegan shoes. Three of my favourites are featured below. I will be featuring more in coming weeks!

Beyond Skin

Beyond Skin is an exclusive vegan footwear label that was established in 2001, by Natalie Dean, a make-up artist in the music and fashion industry. Beyond Skin footwear is hand-made to order in the UK, by a small manufacturer in East London, utilising a range of man-made fabrics such as polyester (kinder to the environment than viscose, which is processed with acid chemicals) and cotton backed polyurethane (which is less damaging to the environment than PVC). Polyurethane is not perfect by any means, but it is a whole lot better than leather! Beyond Skin is a firm favourite with celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Sadie Frost, Amanda Holden and Joanna Lumley.

Charmoné Shoes

These are my current favourites. Charmoné Shoes were founded in 2006, by Jodi Koskella and Lauren Carroll who noticed a gap in the market for stylish vegan footwear. They work with the aim of producing beautiful, luxurious and sexy shoes that are environmentally friendly and cruelty-free. The shoes are crafted in Italy, utilising high quality Italian microfibers that are constructed like leather, allowing the skin to breathe. The materials used are free from PVC, instead using a polyurethane coating.

Bourgeois Bohéme

Bourgeois Bohéme, a 2007 PETA Proggy Award winner (for Best Cruelty-Free Shoe Retailer) is a trendy on-line boutique providing a range of vegan, natural and organic accessories for men and women. Their products are ethically sourced and the leather alternatives they use are mostly biodegradable. Bourgeois Bohéme endeavour to use recycled products when possible and are Vegan Society approved, as well as being PETA Business Friends.

[via Ethical Fashionista]