By Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
Good news! Veganism is on the rise – not only as a dietary choice, but as a fashion choice too, and as a result, there are more vegan fashion brands popping up each day, it seems. And no wonder: there’s really nothing good about killing animals for clothing, and of course, it’s completely unnecessary, too.
Although fashion that doesn’t rely on animals’ deaths is usually a good thing, there is a caveat – many vegan brands create their designs from PVC and other toxic chemical based materials, making them essentially well-branded plastic tat. For that reason, we’ve carefully selected selected seven vegan fashion brands that are conscious of not only their treatment of animals, but their environmental impact, too.
We also selected these vegan fashion brands based on their style. Some are designed in Italy or France, and it shows! But in any case, you will be sure to love these chic bags, dresses, tops, pants and shoes, whether you’ve gone vegan, or not.
7 Vegan Fashion Brands You’ll Love
1. OlsenHaus Pure Vegan
Olsenhaus Pure Vegan was founded in 2008 by Elizabeth Olsen, who has always been outspoken against the use of animals for food, clothing, experimentation and entertainment. Whilst there was no information on her site regarding the exact materials used for her shoes, from what we can see here, there is a high component of canvas and cork and a lower one of plastics, compared to most vegan brands.
These stylish, sexy shoes are sold today in 14 countries at select retailers, and can be found in the closets of Cameron Diaz, Emily Deschanel, Gwyneth Paltrow and many other A-listers.
2. Beyond Skin
Beyond Skin is a label you may have heard of, after they shod Olga Kurylenko on the red (or rather, Green) carpet at the last Oscars ceremony. Totally eco-friendly, the brand takes care in working closely with factories and suppliers to ensure the reduction of carbon footprint, and unlike other vegan brands, Beyond Skin knows that creating ‘pleather’ is bad for the environment, so only uses recycled materials.
The handmade shoes and pure ethics have conquered the hearts of eco-minded celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway and Leona Lewis. Bonus: the kind-hearted brand pledges to give 1% of their profits to grass-root environmental and social projects.
3. Matt & Nat
The Matt and Nat in the name of this eco friendly vegan brand don’t refer to the designers, but to the concept: ‘Matt’-erial that’s all ‘Nat-ural.’ The Canadian based brand uses everything from cork to eco-friendly microfibre-based leather to create beautifully designed, durable bags and shoes.
Their designs are minimalistic, and are geared towards the urban professional. Plenty of unisex items, such as backpacks and briefcases, are the perfect and practical accessory for the office.
4. Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather
Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather is a statement as much as a brand! The leather-free company’s trés chic Parisian-made shoes are created for both genders, using earth-friendly materials such as micro-fibre, canvas and natural rubber. This mixture results in a light, waterproof, durable and comfortable shoe which can now also be bought globally on their Online Store. This elegant Gallic label truly makes being a ‘good guy’ easier!
5. Jill Milan
Looking for stylish, cruelty-free ‘leather’ jackets? Look no more! Jill Milan is one of the chicest vegan fashion brands around. Her vegan leathers, created from a custom-made, eco-friendly Italian fabric, give the feeling of both raw, thick cowhide or more refined calf leather, but without all the nasty killing of animals. And did we mention that the brand also makes incredible bags? In fact, red-carpet ready handbags are Jill Milan’s bread and butter.
Jill Milan also gives back – some of their profits are donated to organizations that rescue and retire or retrain former racehorses. Without the aid of these non-profit groups, horses are often at risk of being shipped to Canada or to Mexico to be slaughtered. Jill Milan also makes contributions to other animal welfare organizations, as well as charities that provide economic aid to low income women who have cancer.
6. Marzeri Milano
This is vegan leather at its finest! It’s comprised of eco-friendly materials like apple leather and cereal-based suede (yes, really!) to construct finely crafted Italian shoes and bags for men and women. The styles are as chic and sexy as you’d expect from anything handmade in Milan.
7. Poethica
Affordable sustainable luxury vegan fashion is a phrase you don’t hear often, because it is rare indeed! But Milan based designer Jose Luis Toniutti has worked hard to ensure his brand provides just that.
Created from biodegradable fabrics such as peace silk, organic cotton, hemp and linen, his flowing, feminine styles are perfect for the breezy days of summer. The designer has also recently launched an uber-chic bag collection made from recycled shopping bags.
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3 Comments
Blondie
May 27, 2014 at 4:11 pmI love the vegan style. They respect the impact on the environment, and it’s hard, in our century, to see some brands that do the same!! I want to see more articles