The main focus for new Vegans should always be
eliminating meat, dairy and eggs
It is not always practical or financially possible to replace
every non- Vegan product that has already been purchased
The damage has already been done once the product is bought
But once you deeply connect with Veganism,
it often becomes uncomfortable to wear clothing made from animals
And as clothing becomes old and worn out,
you have a responsibility to replace all products with more ethical ones
The main industries which use animals for clothing are the
fur, leather, wool, down and silk industries
Most animals used for fur live and die on fur farms
Animals like mink, rabbits and foxes are kept in small cages
which cause a lot of physical and emotional stress
They're fed meat byproducts unfit for human consumption
And they're killed in ways which protect their fur
Some methods like neck breaking, poisoning and anal electricution are common
While fur clothing is becoming less fashionable,
fur trim coats and boots are still popular
Although finding faux fur should be simple,
it is often cheaper to produce real fur than faux fur
So some companies lie about their materials
meaning a product labelled as fake fur could still be made from an animal
The easiest way to avoid fur is to buy clothing without any kind of fur or faux fur
But if you do want to buy something,
you can look on the Humane Society's list of certified faux fur companies
And if you pull the hair back, you will see either a skin or fabric backing
If you want to be certain about it once you've purchased it,
cut a few pieces of hair off and burn it
If it's real, it's smell like burnt human hair
If it's fake, it'll smell of plastic
If you find that it is real,
you can take it back to the shop where you purchased it
The fur industry has become a popular target for activists to critisise
”Shame on you for supporting the fur industry!”
But the leather industry's just as cruel
People think that leather is merely a byproduct of the beef industry
but there is such a demand for leather that the animals are killed specifically for their skin
Most leather comes from India cows
To transport them to a place where they can be legally murdered,
cows are shoed and roped
then they're forced to walk through the heat and dust without food or water
Many animals collapse from the stress of this
When they become weak ans slow, their tails are repeatedly pinched and broken
in a sick attempt to get them moving
Handlers are in such a hurry that they use nose ropes and twist their necks and tails
They also use chili peppers and tobacco to keep the animals moving
They rub the pepper directly in their eyes in order to get the animal back on their feet
The men that load them into the trucks are often forceful and rough
The new experience of travelling combined with
a lack of food and water leads to severe nausea
Half of the animals are already dead before they arrive at the slaughterhouse
They're generally killed through hacking and sawing with a dull blade
and are usually killed in full view of each other
Leather can be sourced from many different animals including
alligator, sheep, pigs and deer
And there are many different names for different types of leather
Like buckskin, suede and shell cordovan
In spite of the incredible harm the leather industry causes,
real leather has become a symbol of quality
So clothing made from Vegan materials are often coated with tiny amounts of cow skin
so that they can be labelled as real leather to increase sales in the market price
Leather is probably the most common non- Vegan material
found in all kinds of clothing like bags, shoes, belts,
jackets and gloves
Since leather is more expensive than syntehtical alternatives,
products are usually labelled as real leather
which is easy to spot and avoid
Cheap products like shoes, bags and wallets are often
made from pleather
which is plastic leather
There are also fake leather products made from PVC and
high quality products made from materials like cork, kelp and microfibre
There seems to be a myth that all faux eather products are inferioir to cow skin
While cheap, poorly produced faux leather does break down quicker
due to cheaper subtitute ingredients being used in the manifacturing process
High quality leather alternatives are strong and durable
and have a long lifespan
Most clothing will have a clrear label
For shoes, look on the inside of the heel or the underside of the tongue
There should be a stamp somewhere saying smoething like:
”Leather upper” or ” All man made materials”
Although sometimes there are just stickers with symbols
If tit's made of made of textile, man made materials or other materials,
they won't contain leather
But don't be afraid to email companies or ask in shops
Most people think that wool is just like a haircut for sheep
so it can't be unethical
But just like the fur and leather industries, the wool industry is driven by profit
So the most efficient methods will always be used
Sheep in the wool industry have been genetically modified to
produce far more wool than they actually need
This is a lot like breaking someone's leg and then giving them a wheelchair
and expecting praise
And regularly sheering causes nicks and cuts
And in order to prevent the excess attraction of flies and
a condition called ”flystrike”,
the wool industry practicecs mulesing
This is a cruel procedure in which part of a sheep's flesh is cut off
of his or her hindquarters without anesthesia
When sheep get older, they stop producing as much wool and
they're sent off to slaughter as they're no longer
seen as profitable
Just like leather, wool is a very common material
which is found in things like coats, jumpers, socks and hats
You can buy alternative clothing using materials like rayon, cotton,
hemp, linen and bamboo as well as synthetics like
acrylic, nylon and microfibre
Just make sure to check the label and avoid clothing containing
any types of wool
The down industry plucks feathers from geese and ducks
which causes considerable pain and distress
While their feathers are being torn out, their skin is often torn open
because the workers are always instructed to be as quick as possible
Buying down also supports the foie gras industry
This produces profit by selling the feathers of the force fed ducks and geese
Down feathers are found in coats, jackets and other insulated products
But fortunately there are plenty of coats made of materials like cotton and polyester
with synthetic insulation like primaloft and thinsulate
So look on the label or item description for down for words like
duck and goose
And then look for alternative products
In the silk industry billions of potentially sentient silkworms are
steamed or gassed alive in their cocoons every year
so that we can use their silk to make clothing
Silk is found in clothing like dresses, scarves and underwear
But there are plenty of alternatives made from materials
like rayon, nylon, milkweed seed pod fibres,
tencel, silk- cotton tree filaments,
ceiba tree filaments, polyester and lyocell
Also avoid the other silk containing materials which are listed below
Most everyday clothing items are made from materials like polyester,
cotton and acrylic and are Vegan
For example, most t- shirts and trousers are made of cotton
and a lot jumpers and hoodies are made from acrylic or polyester and cotton
Although it might seem like an extra effort checking labels initially,
you'll quickly get to know which products and materials are and aren't Vegan
So eventually it'll be effortless
But for some products like shoes and belts you might need to look online
It's not widely known but a lot of shoes made from Vegan materials
do contain animal based glues
By emailing a company, you might be able to find out
but in many cases not even the companies know what the glues are made of
The good news is that synthetic glues are now replacing animal based glues
So don't let this discourage you
Just always do the best you can
In the booklet below I've included link to all the best online stores
for buying Vegan shoes and clothing
It's important to mention that Vegans should always strive to
buy the most ethical and environmentally sustainable clothing possible
We're all accustomed to buying extremely cheap yet unethical products
So buying Vegan, organic and fairtrade clothing can seem too
expensive for most people
The best way to overcome this is by buying secondhand Vegan
clothing from charity shops
And it's also a good idea to become a minimalist
and only buy clothing that you really need
This is the most ethical and environmentally sustainable way to live
Some Vegans believe that second hand leather or wool products
are acceptable to purchase
While they do technically cause no extra harm to animals
they do help promote the idea that animals should be commodified
If you're not okay with wearing shoes made from abused and killed human skin,
you shouldn't be wearing cow skin shoes either
Just as with Vegan cometics,
keep in my mind that many new Vegans choose to use up
and wear out all non- Vegan products
It's okay to do this
Don't let arrogant people try to call you out for being inconsistent
Remind them that Veganism is about eliminating animal products
as far as possible and practicable
Wearing out old clothing doesn't undermine your ethics
As always, check out the booklet below which contains more
detailed information and links to Vegan friendly shops
I also have complete guides to Vegan food and Vegan cosmetics
So check those out too
And if you want to help support me in creating
helpful resources like this one,
which take weeks to make,
please visit my Pateron page and consider donating
And if you need help progressing to a Vegan lifestyle,
email me or add me on Skype
Thank you for watching
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