How much do you know about Vegan Fashion, and which brands are pioneering vegan products in the textile space? This was one of the questions I asked myself as I started journeying into sustainable fashion and circular economy. I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of brands focusing heavily on vegan products for their collections. To be fair vegan fashion isn’t for everyone, but people who follow a vegan lifestyle tend to choose not to wear clothing with animal substances. Others sometimes support cruelty-free fashion even if when they aren’t necessarily vegan in their day-to-day life.
The terms “vegan” and “cruelty-free” are often used interchangeably in the fashion industry because animal testing is not required for clothing and accessories. However, some consumers may consider the animal testing practices of a company when deciding whether to purchase vegan products from them, especially if the company also produces beauty products that are tested on animals. It is important for consumers to be aware of a company’s policies and practices in order to make informed decisions about their purchases.
Some of the vegan brands are not entirely cruelty-free, but they are eco-friendly and ethical, too. The fabrics they use tend to avoid any virgin plastics, and you can even find unique textiles made from fruits and plants like apples, pineapples, mushrooms and cacti. It’s also important to note that some brands consider the planet and people throughout their entire business model because of their partnerships with ethical manufacturers and eco-friendly shipping practices.
The jury is still out on whether vegan fashion is better for the environment. However, Vogue believes that based purely on the greenhouse gas emissions of animal-based materials compared to their vegan alternatives, vegan fashion is better for the planet. While I hope to share an exhaustive list of the brands bringing new vegan products to the market soon, some exciting but little-known brands offer vegan products made from sustainable and recycled materials.
One such brand is Harvest & Mill, which specialises in vegan clothing essentials made of organic cotton grown, milled, designed, and sewn exclusively in the U.S. through a transparent and carbon-neutral supply chain. The sustainability page on their website packs a punch, and it’s worth checking out.
Another brand is Ccilu (CHEE-loo), meaning “liberate” in Japanese, which uses innovative technology to create eco-friendly shoes, recycling commonly discarded materials such as coffee grounds and plastic bottles. The company’s XpreSole shoe is made using recycled, spent coffee grounds. Ccilu created a revolutionary shoe comprised of recycled plastics and recycled coffee grounds – all done by recycling what we would typically discard, making it possible for what once was waste to be used again and again.
WAMA is another vegan fashion brand that uses sustainable materials in its products. The company makes underwear from hemp, which is chosen for its sustainability, softness, and antibacterial nature. By using hemp, WAMA estimates that it has saved 283,277 days’ worth of drinking water and 297,560 hours of LED bulb energy. Wama’s mission is to pioneer the hemp underwear industry by making the best hemp undies in the world and constantly improving the fit, function and design. They hope that during the process, Wama will bring more awareness to hemp as an option for clothing, especially underwear.
Other vegan brands on the market include Stella McCartney, Patagonia, and Reformation, which have all implemented innovative materials science technologies to create sustainable and responsible fashion products. Stella McCartney, for example, has a long history of sustainability and has been an early adopter of plant-based fabrics, such as the “alter nappa” used in its Falabella line of handbags. Patagonia has a range of vegan products made from recycled materials, and Reformation uses sustainable fabrics such as Tencel, a fabric made from wood pulp processed using an eco-friendly closed-loop system. I will share more information on this material soon.
Adopting vegan products by the fashion industry has a number of benefits for the environment. It can help reduce the demand for animal-derived materials, which can negatively impact ecosystems and wildlife. Vegan products also often require fewer resources to produce, as they do not require the rearing and slaughter of animals. In addition, vegan products made from recycled materials can help to reduce waste and keep resources in use for longer.
Overall, the shift towards vegan products in the fashion industry is essential to promoting sustainability and combating climate change. Consumers can support fashion brands prioritising the environment and animal welfare by choosing vegan products and contributing to a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry.