In 2017 faux fur finally went upmarket when French Vogue published an article saying how great it was. After this a lot of influential brads such as Armani and Gucci moved from real to faux fur. The animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) must have been jumping for joy.
Given the cost of real fur it’s not surprising that affordable shops such as Zara, Urban Outfitters and H&M don’t sell anything that contains real fur, but there are also other reasons why they have earned their place in the PETA list of vegan-friendly fashion retailers.
But real fur isn’t the biggest problem anymore, it’s leather. Millions of animals are killed every year to make items such as shoes, handbags and coats. And at the luxury end this could eventually put some creatures, such as crocodiles, in danger of extinction.
Not only does leather production affect our planet, it’s not even necessary. Science and technology mean that we can now create convincing faux leather out of polyurethane. This “vegan leather” looks, feels and shines exactly like normal leather. In fact the only obvious difference is that you don’t have to massacre animals to produce it.
Beauty brands have begun to take animal rights seriously, so when looking for presents this Christmas look for the “Save Our Planet” motto on brands whose products do not require animal testing. These include Wet n Wild, Lush, Maybelline and Revlon, as well as Kat Von D, Urban Decay, and Tarte.
Cruelty free products don’t only benefit animals. The fact that they are also usually natural means that they also benefit the environment, and our skin! Brands like Weleda, RMS or Dr. Hauschka provide what our skin needs without the use of any chemicals.
So when choosing clothing and beauty products this Christmas, we have a choice. Do we want to help our planet survive and leave something for the next generation, or do we just want to look better, whatever the cost?
