What to Wear?
Don’t trample on the rights of animals to look cool. Fur is for hags, leather is for losers, writes Tim Cole
ool, fur, cotton, silk, nylon, acrylic, polyester, leather, suede, hemp, denim, PVC, vinyl, microfibre, rubber, cosmetics, perfume, jewelry… What do YOU wear?
Learning about the cruelties involved in the production and manufacturing of clothes might just change what you spend your cash on next time you go shopping. Well, we hope so!
Humans have taken to wearing the “clothing” of other animals, most commonly wool belonging to sheep and goats, the skin “leather” from cattle, and the fur belonging to a whole range of animals including mink, foxes, rabbits, domestic cats and dogs, seals, possums, kangaroos, and many others. We humans are the only species to do this. No other species wears the “clothing” of another animal unless we place clothing on an animal ourselves.
What about your values?
Your ethics? Can they
shape what you wear?
Out of all the clothing industries fur is the most brutal. Across the globe animals are routinely and systematically bred and skinned, often alive, for their fur. Every year this process is inflicted upon 80-100 million animals across the globe. The most common animal farmed for their fur are mink and foxes, but also includes many Australian native animals like possums and kangaroos. Animals can be struggling in traps for days, and up to 1 out of every 4 escapes by chewing off his or her own feet, only to die later from blood loss, fever, gangrene, or predators. To kill the animals many trappers strangle, beat, or stomp them to death. Animals bred in fur farms may be gassed, electrocuted, poisoned, or have their necks snapped, but in some animals regain consciousness whilst still alive.
Another nasty in the clothing industries is that stuff used to make shoes, jackets, belts, and wallets: leather. Leather is a name that hides the truth of its origins. Leather is actually skin or hide that has been chemically treated to make it durable and long-lasting, so it can be used for these sorts of products. Most leather comes from cattle who are slaughtered for meat, or worn-out dairy cows who no longer produce enough milk to be profitable. Much of the leather imported into Australia is from India and China where conditions for animals are particularly cruel and the cows are so malnourished that they yield little if any meat. Old and sick cows are often forced to march long distances, then are crammed tightly into transport trucks that take them to the slaughterhouse. Upon arrival, handlers beat and torture weak and injured cows to force them to walk to the killing floor, and then slit their throats while they are still fully conscious.
Another sad fact is that the chemicals used in the tanning process - including formaldehyde, chromium, arsenic, and cyanide-based dyes and finishes – pose serious threats to both the environment and human health.
So what about wool?
About 30% of all wool used worldwide comes from Australia. The Merino is the most common sheep to be used for wool. Merinos have been deliberately bred to have wrinkly skin, so they produce more wool. Their coats are so thick that some die of heat exhaustion during hot months. Unlike wild sheep, Merinos cannot shed their fleece. Their wool grows longer and longer and in the folds of their skin flies begin to lay eggs which hatch into maggots that begin to eat away at the skin. To prevent this from happening ranchers will perform an operation called mulesing. Without anesthesia, a piece of flesh about the size of a dinner plate is cut from the rear end of a lamb. Other procedures performed without anesthesia include docking their tales and castrating the males. The castrations are done when the male lambs are between two and eight weeks old, with the use of a rubber ring to cut off their blood supply.
Ok now we’ve told you some of the terrible stuff you might be asking: well, what is it that I can do?
The number one answer to this is: don’t buy fur, leather, wool, or silk, or any other clothing made with animal products. Show the world that you care enough about animals to not wear them. Knowing about these facts, and incorporating them into your ethics, is one thing. Putting this into practice and taking ACTION is another. And who wants to wear the fur or skin of a dead animal anyway?!
One of the best things to keep in mind while shopping is to read the labels on the clothes - and definitely before you buy! So be on the lookout for animal products. If it contains wool, leather, silk, and if you see any trace of fur on the clothing, don’t buy it! Be on the lookout for wool blends too, i.e. some clothing looks like it is plain cotton or acrylic fibres, but it might contain a percentage of wool.
Here are some great places to buy vegan clothing
- Vegan Wares stock shoes, boots, and wallets. Visit them at 78 Smith Street, Collingwood VIC 3066, ph: 03 9417 0230.
Check out www.veganwares.com
- No Sweat! have created the first non-sweatshop brand of sneakers that are also vegan. They also do t-shirts and hoodies. Go to www.nosweatstuff.com.au
- MooShoes (USA) is a place where you are guaranteed a stylish and high quality yet leather-free pair of shoes. They also do t-shirts, wallets, and bags. Go to www.mooshoes.com
- Vegan Essentials (USA) is an online cruelty-free department store that has been serving the needs of caring consumers since 1998. They stock everything from footwear to clothing to household products to vitamins.
Go to www.veganessentials.com
- Target or Kmart stores are good for shoes, bags, and belts
Tell others about your choices, and that it really isn’t so hard to become an experienced vegan shopper and look great as well.