It is not always practical or financially possible to replace

every non- Vegan product that has already been purchased

The damage has already been done once the product is bought

But once you deeply connect with Veganism,

it often becomes uncomfortable to wear clothing made from animals

And as clothing becomes old and worn out,

you have a responsibility to replace all products with more ethical ones

The main industries which use animals for clothing are the

fur, leather, wool, down and silk industries

Most animals used for fur live and die on fur farms

Animals like mink, rabbits and foxes are kept in small cages

which cause a lot of physical and emotional stress

They're fed meat byproducts unfit for human consumption

And they're killed in ways which protect their fur

Some methods like neck breaking, poisoning and anal electricution are common

While fur clothing is becoming less fashionable,

fur trim coats and boots are still popular

Although finding faux fur should be simple,

it is often cheaper to produce real fur than faux fur

So some companies lie about their materials

meaning a product labelled as fake fur could still be made from an animal

The easiest way to avoid fur is to buy clothing without any kind of fur or faux fur

But if you do want to buy something,

you can look on the Humane Society's list of certified faux fur companies

And if you pull the hair back, you will see either a skin or fabric backing

If you want to be certain about it once you've purchased it,

cut a few pieces of hair off and burn it

If it's real, it's smell like burnt human hair

If it's fake, it'll smell of plastic

If you find that it is real,

you can take it back to the shop where you purchased it

The fur industry has become a popular target for activists to critisise

”Shame on you for supporting the fur industry!”

But the leather industry's just as cruel

People think that leather is merely a byproduct of the beef industry

but there is such a demand for leather that the animals are killed specifically for their skin

Most leather comes from India cows

To transport them to a place where they can be legally murdered,

cows are shoed and roped

then they're forced to walk through the heat and dust without food or water

Many animals collapse from the stress of this

When they become weak ans slow, their tails are repeatedly pinched and broken

in a sick attempt to get them moving

Handlers are in such a hurry that they use nose ropes and twist their necks and tails

They also use chili peppers and tobacco to keep the animals moving

They rub the pepper directly in their eyes in order to get the animal back on their feet

The men that load them into the trucks are often forceful and rough

The new experience of travelling combined with

a lack of food and water leads to severe nausea

Half of the animals are already dead before they arrive at the slaughterhouse

They're generally killed through hacking and sawing with a dull blade and are usually killed in full view of each other

Leather can be sourced from many different animals including

alligator, sheep, pigs and deer

And there are many different names for different types of leather

Like buckskin, suede and shell cordovan

In spite of the incredible harm the leather industry causes,

real leather has become a symbol of quality

So clothing made from Vegan materials are often coated with tiny amounts of cow skin

so that they can be labelled as real leather to increase sales in the market price

Leather is probably the most common non- Vegan material

found in all kinds of clothing like bags, shoes, belts, jackets and gloves

Since leather is more expensive than syntehtical alternatives,

products are usually labelled as real leather

which is easy to spot and avoid

Cheap products like shoes, bags and wallets are often

made from pleather which is plastic leather

There are also fake leather products made from PVC and

high quality products made from materials like cork, kelp and microfibre

There seems to be a myth that all faux eather products are inferioir to cow skin

While cheap, poorly produced faux leather does break down quicker

due to cheaper subtitute ingredients being used in the manifacturing process

High quality leather alternatives are strong and durable and have a long lifespan

Most clothing will have a clrear label

For shoes, look on the inside of the heel or the underside of the tongue

There should be a stamp somewhere saying smoething like:

”Leather upper” or ” All man made materials”

Although sometimes there are just stickers with symbols

If tit's made of made of textile, man made materials or other materials,

they won't contain leather

But don't be afraid to email companies or ask in shops

Most people think that wool is just like a haircut for sheep

so it can't be unethical

But just like the fur and leather industries, the wool industry is driven by profit

So the most efficient methods will always be used

Sheep in the wool industry have been genetically modified to

produce far more wool than they actually need

This is a lot like breaking someone's leg and then giving them a wheelchair

and expecting praise

And regularly shearing causes nicks and cuts

And in order to prevent the excess attraction of flies and a condition called ”flystrike”,

the wool industry practicecs mulesing

This is a cruel procedure in which part of a sheep's flesh is cut off

of his or her hindquarters without anesthesia

When sheep get older, they stop producing as much wool and

they're sent off to slaughter as they're no longer seen as profitable

Just like leather, wool is a very common material

which is found in things like coats, jumpers, socks and hats

You can buy alternative clothing using materials like rayon, cotton,

hemp, linen and bamboo as well as synthetics like

acrylic, nylon and microfibre

Just make sure to check the label and avoid clothing containing any types of wool

The down industry plucks feathers from geese and ducks

which causes considerable pain and distress

While their feathers are being torn out, their skin is often torn open

because the workers are always instructed to be as quick as possible

Buying down also supports the foie gras industry

This produces profit by selling the feathers of the force fed ducks and geese

Down feathers are found in coats, jackets and other insulated products

But fortunately there are plenty of coats made of materials like cotton and polyester

with synthetic insulation like primaloft and thinsulate

So look on the label or item description for down for words like duck and goose

And then look for alternative products

In the silk industry billions of potentially sentient silkworms are

steamed or gassed alive in their cocoons every year

so that we can use their silk to make clothing

Silk is found in clothing like dresses, scarves and underwear

But there are plenty of alternatives made from materials

like rayon, nylon, milkweed seed pod fibres,

tencel, silk- cotton tree filaments,

ceiba tree filaments, polyester and lyocell

Also avoid the other silk containing materials which are listed below

Most everyday clothing items are made from materials like polyester,

cotton and acrylic and are Vegan

For example, most t- shirts and trousers are made of cotton

and a lot jumpers and hoodies are made from acrylic or polyester and cotton

Although it might seem like an extra effort checking labels initially,

you'll quickly get to know which products and materials are and aren't Vegan

So eventually it'll be effortless

But for some products like shoes and belts you might need to look online

It's not widely known but a lot of shoes made from Vegan materials

do contain animal based glues

By emailing a company, you might be able to find out

but in many cases not even the companies know what the glues are made of

The good news is that synthetic glues are now replacing animal based glues

So don't let this discourage you

Just always do the best you can

In the booklet below I've included link to

all the best online stores for buying Vegan shoes and clothing

It's important to mention that Vegans should always strive to

buy the most ethical and environmentally sustainable clothing possible

We're all accustomed to buying extremely cheap yet unethical products

So buying Vegan, organic and fairtrade clothing can seem too expensive for most people

The best way to overcome this is by buying secondhand Vegan clothing from charity shops

And it's also a good idea to become a minimalist

and only buy clothing that you really need

This is the most ethical and environmentally sustainable way to live

Some Vegans believe that second hand leather or wool products are acceptable to purchase

While they do technically cause no extra harm to animals

they do help promote the idea that animals should be commodified

If you're not okay with wearing shoes made from abused and killed human skin,

you shouldn't be wearing cow skin shoes either

Just as with Vegan cometics,

keep in my mind that many new Vegans choose to use up

and wear out all non- Vegan products

It's okay to do this

Don't let arrogant people try to call you out for being inconsistent

Remind them that Veganism is about eliminating animal products

as far as possible and practicable

Wearing out old clothing doesn't undermine your ethics

As always, check out the booklet below which contains more

detailed information and links to Vegan friendly shops

I also have complete guides to Vegan food and Vegan cosmetics

So check those out too

And if you want to help support me in creating

helpful resources like this one, which take weeks to make,

please visit my Pateron page and consider donating

And if you need help progressing to a Vegan lifestyle,

email me or add me on Skype

Thank you for watching