The day after Miley Cyrus' New Year’s Eve wardrobe gimmick, a friend of mine wailed, “What is a vegan doing wearing fur?” to which I replied that Cyrus is not a vegan, not by a long shot. Her pathetic stunt resulted in a flurry of media coverage about whether the fur was real (apparently it was) and protests from animal lovers everywhere.
Too bad Ms. Cyrus missed a golden opportunity to ride the wave of the new movement in the fashion world that is boding well for our furry friends. Recently it has become much more difficult to tell the real thing (fur or leather) from fake, and that’s great news.
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Not only have manufacturers become experts at making faux look fab, they are flaunting it on their labels. Faux is in, and it is everywhere, from high-end stores like Barney’s to middlers like Banana Republic and Macy’s and solid general merchandisers such as Target.
Faux furs and leather also are adorning celebrities, who may well be the best spokespeople for this cruelty-free look. The likes of Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Olivia Palermo, Emma Watson, and Kate Moss sport faux fur.
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Of course, you don’t have to be a celeb to don faux fur and leather or have their wallet to make your purchases. While a real fur jacket can set you back thousands of dollars, a faux version can go for one hundred or less.
One thing that is making faux not only great looking but also affordable are the materials used to create them. In a USA Today article, Andrew Dent, a vice president at global materials consultancy Material Connexion, explained that the new fake leathers and furs are so much better than the older looks because designers are using “improved polyurethane that is more leather-like to the touch” and “tapering synthetic fibers to make faux fur seem more luxe and softer.”
Having embraced veganism about three decades ago for ethical reasons, I am used to the questions: “What is a vegan?”, “Isn’t that hard to do?”, which I am happy to answer, and the ignorant remarks, which I try to ignore. Personally I would like people to turn to faux fur and leather because of the cruelty issues.
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Years ago I had the pleasure of spending an evening, along with other vegan friends, with Howard Lyman, a fourth-generation cattle rancher turned vegan and animal advocate. He once said “veganism isn’t just a strict vegetarian diet; it is a complete philosophical viewpoint. It is practical in outlook, simple to understand and aspires to the highest environmental and spiritual values. I am sure it holds the key to a future lifestyle for a humane planetary guardianship.”
I believe he’s right. But for now, I’m reminded of the old idiom that you can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. If people choose faux fur and leather because of aesthetics or economics, the end result is that there’s less cruelty and suffering in the world, and that’s something I hope all of us can embrace.
Image: zubrow
