What is Vegan Clothing ?
A Vegan is someone
who does not eat the flesh or meat or animals, or use any product that comes
from animals.
Most people simply think of the way of eating, or Vegan diet,
which excludes meat, eggs, and dairy, but this also carries over into other
aspects of a Vegan's lifestyle and impacts things such as the clothes they wear.
Vegan clothing must not contain materials such as fur, wool, or leather because
they are all derived from animals. Here are some helpful tips on determining
what clothing materials fall into the Vegan category.
Imitation leather
materials can be used in a Vegan wardrobe. Look for clothing labels that state
the garment is made from man-made leather, imitation leather, synthetic leather,
or pleather. Leather should not be in a Vegan wardrobe because it is made from
the skin and hides of animals.
Fabrics such as polyester, rayon, nylon,
ceiba tree, tussah, milkweed seed-pod 
fibers, tencel, and silk-cotton tree
filaments are acceptable in the use of Vegan clothing. Avoid actual silk, as it
is produced by silkworms. Even though silkworms produce silk naturally, there
are instances where the worms are boiled in order to extract the silk. The
harming of the animal, or in this case the silkworm, goes against the Vegan
philosophy. Stick to plant based fibers that still have a silky feel to
them.
Down and animal feathers have no place in a Vegan wardrobe, due to
the plucking and slaughtering of the animals required to harvest them.
Acceptable substitutions such as down alternative, hypo-allergenic synthetic
down, synthetic down, and polyester fill are all good options for use in Vegan
clothing.
Wool products should be avoided by Vegans. These include such
fabrics as angora, cashmere, mohair, camel hair, shearling, and pashima. Many of
the animals that are wool producing are treated cruelly and live in poor
conditions. Instead, opt for man made products that still provide warmth and
keep moisture at bay. Alternative materials that work well in Vegan clothing
include polyester fleece, acrylic, orlon, synthetic wool, synthetic fleece, and
cotton flannel.
Fake furs should be chosen over real fur for Vegan
clothing .Check clothing labels to make sure the garment is made from a faux fur
material such as polyester, acrylic, or mod-acrylic. Today's faux fur garments
looks very realistic, so you can still have the look ,feel, and warmth of fur
without having to sacrifice any animals in order to create the
garment.
Other materials used to make Vegan clothing include plant based
fibers such as cotton, organic canvas, bamboo, and hemp. The People For The
Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA organization also offers information on
their website regarding companies that sell Vegan clothing.
People who
practice the Vegan lifestyle have to carefully read the food ingredients labels
on the products they buy to eat to make sure there are no meat, dairy, or animal
ingredients in them. This is very similar to how they have to shop for clothing.
Careful attention must be paid to reading the garment labels to determine if the
garment is Vegan, meaning that it does not contain the skin, hide, wool,
feathers, silk, or down of an animal.