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Last Updated on June 5, 2024 by Steal the Style
We all know that the livestock industry can be damaging for the environment and cruel to the animals it raises. For many of us, we want to live our lives in a way that is kinder to the world around us. Luckily, we also live in an era where vegan apparel is readily available.
There are lots of great ways to buy vegan clothes and look awesome while doing so. Major clothing lines are offering vegan options, and with a little care and research, you can have a great, cruelty-free wardrobe.
Read on to learn how to find vegan clothing and some dos and don’ts of shopping vegan.
In This Post:
Why Buy Vegan Clothes
With Beyonce endorsing veganism and more focus on making ethical choices in buying, the vegan clothes market is starting to come into the spotlight.
The emphasis on buying cruelty-free products has spread from the vegan food world into the clothing industry, and it’s easy to see why.
Many clothing materials are acquired by harming or slaughtering animals. You know the obvious materials: leather, fur, etc. But even materials like wool and silk can come at a cost for the animals who produce them.
Check the Materials
When you’re shopping for vegan clothes, you always want to check the labels. Blended materials are as common these days as pure fabrics, so make sure you know what you’re getting.
With most clothing, there will be one of two places you’ll want to check for a materials list.
In shirts and pants, the materials may be listed on the tag at the back of the garment. If it’s not there, check the side seams for a second tag, which will often have materials listed alongside care instructions.
Find Stores with Vegan Options
It’s a good idea to find some reliable stores and brands who offer vegan clothing options. For one thing, it’ll save you the hassle of having to inspect tags on every single piece of clothing you buy. For another, you’ll be supporting the brands who offer ethical options.
There are some major clothing stores that offer vegan options. Stella McCartney, H&M, Target, Old Navy, Dr. Martins, and Beyond Skin are all great choices.
If you’re more of an online shopper, check out Alternative Outfitters, ASOS, Unicorn Goods, and Vegan Chic.
Look at the Price
While you’re doing all that tag checking, you should take a second to look at the price. If you eat vegan, you’ll know that often, vegan options can be more expensive than non-vegan foods. But not so with vegan clothing!
In many cases, vegan clothing will actually be cheaper than the less ethical alternatives due to manufacturing costs. You have to hire someone to raise and care for animals (even if they aren’t doing it in the kindest way) and then harvest the material from them.
Plant-based and synthetic materials don’t require such care, and so are cheaper to produce.
Avoid Some Surprising Materials
We all know the big no-nos when it comes to vegan clothing materials: leather, fur, sheepskin, and the like. But there are some materials that it may surprise you to learn are neither vegan nor cruelty-free.
Wool, cashmere, merino, angora, and mohair all come from fleece grown by sheep, goats, and rabbits. While silkworms do produce silk naturally, they are often killed in the process of harvesting it. And down feathers are plucked from the birds while they are still alive.
Find Good Substitutes
If you’re cutting out this many materials, you may feel like you don’t have very many options left for cool clothes. And, let’s be honest, a leather jacket can be an excellent look. So how do you keep the aesthetic you want without contributing to cruel practices?
There are more and more alternative material options coming on the market as the demand for vegan clothing options increases.
Faux leather options are improving, as are faux fur and faux sheepskin. There are also companies offering clothes made from cork and other ethical materials.
Spread the Message
While cutting unethical clothing out of your life is a great start, we’ll need a lot more people getting on the vegan bandwagon to start to see a change in the clothing industry. So as you can, talk to your friends about more ethical clothing choices.
Remember, it’s never a good idea to get preachy, and no one responds well to being attacked. But telling your friends about why you’ve decided to buy vegan clothing and where you find it is a good idea. You can answer any questions they have, and they may be inspired to make a change themselves.
Learn How to Find Vegan Apparel
We live in an era where we can find out just about everything about how our clothing is produced. This makes it easier than ever make buying choices that are ethical and cruelty-free. Take some time to look at what’s in the clothes you’re buying, and you can have great vegan apparel and look incredible in it.
If you’d like to read more about fashion and apparel, check out the rest of our site at Steal the Style. We have advice on everything from why you should buy clothes from Brunello Cucinelli to how to style a t-shirt three different ways.
Check out our design tips for a closet your friends will envy today.