vegan clothes & vegan shoes

being a vegan isn't just about what you eat... for most vegans it's about what they wear (and use for upholstery). You obviously can't glean a cowhide from a cow, a fur from a mink or a foot from a rabbit and have the animals live to tell the tale-- clearly not vegan. (Ok, maybe the rabbit could live, be it a less-frolicky life, but something tells me he doesn't. And why do we need those feet again, anyway?)

Other fabrics & materials like wool, cashmere, etc might seem a little less deadly, but trust me-- those animals are abused until they're dead. In Australia, over 6 million sheep die every year from neglet, disease, careless shearing, and mulesing (cutting off big skin flaps- the sheep aren't given painkillers, either).

Silk is also a problem... did you know 3,000 silkworms (actually moths in metamorphisis; the silk is  their cocoon) are steamed alive to make 1 pound of silk? So... silk has a lot of dead moths in it. Beautiful.

What can you do? Stop buying products that contain animal parts! Do you need those wool socks when cotton ones would do? Or try some of the alternative fabrics, like hemp or bamboo clothing. Organic bamboo clothing has the added benefit of being great for the environment, and linen is also a great vegan option that doesn't require the high levels of chemicals that non-organic cotton clothing does.

Define: Vegan carries a great selection of vegan shoes, boots, belts, purses and more... check out our great selection today!

define: vegan | your source for everything vegan | jamie at define vegan dot com