and it's time to look at clothing.
Fortunately, I've never been big on fur (literally, I don't think I've EVER owned anything made of fur). Wool? I probably have a lot.. in the way of peacoats and such. Leather? I believe I've had one jacket and one pair of pants.. neither of which currently exist in my closet. But belts.. oh yeah.. probably a dozen leather belts, and a couple leather clutch purses.
What's a newly vegan to do?
I mean, I always knew on some level, that being kind to animals.. and leather.. really didn't go together. But there's a difference between theoretically knowing.. and then seeing footage of it happening. So, this is another instance where the Earthlings completely opened my eyes to something that I had once been ignoring. The pain and torture these animals go through was too much to bear.
But, I feel like throwing them out would be a waste, and possibly even a bigger disservice to the animal from whence it came.
So, I've decided not to throw out or give away the things I currently own and wear. Just seems pointless.. since the harm is already done. The only possibly negative is people seeing me with a leather belt on, and questioning me about it.
Problem is, with a pleather belt.. the assumption of strangers would still be that it's leather.
But, when it comes time to replace these items.. rest assured that I'll be looking for cruelty-free options. So far, I've found a few good sites.. like Alternative Outfitters and The Vegan Store.. but I'm open to suggestions.
I am curious also.. How do other vegans feel about this? Did you throw out all your animal-based clothing and accessories, or just use them til it was time for a replacement?
Hey :-)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I want to tell you how much I enjoy reading your blog!
I've been trying to live a vegan lifestyle for a bit over a year now, but I've been struggling at first. Watching Earthlings really helped and this is how I found your blog (I think I must've found a link on either Google or Twitter while researching).
I agree with you when it comes to leather and wool clothes you previously owned. When I went vegan for the first time (there was a break inbetween last year and now) I tried to replace all my leather clothes. It was a bit difficult to find shoes which were as good as my favourite ballet flats, but I did find them in the end.
It was harder to part with a beautiful purse I got for my 20th birthday, but I knew that my sister would really appreciate it and I found one which was just as pretty as the leather one.
The only thing I can't give away right now is a cashmere jumper, another present.
Please keep writing :-)
Greetings from Germany
Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I appreciate all the feedback, tips, and support I can get. :)
DeleteI don't think you should throw it away, but I agree it's difficult to wear those times knowing where they came from and thinking others might question my stance if they see me wearing something non-vegan. A reason I don't like faux fur or pleather is it still promotes wearing those items and people might not know its faux.
ReplyDeleteI would give those things away so they can continue their use, but just not in my closet.
I know this is an old blog, but I'm just now reading it and wanted to comment ;)