Can Fashion
Be
Ethical?
By Danielle Alinia
As a recently turned vegetarian (just reached my 1 year meat free anniversary) I have felt very hypocritical to still be wearing leather, as it is a by-product of the meat industry. But I also feel equally as guilty not wearing all the leather goods I brought before I switched to vegetarian as wouldn’t this make the loss of the animals life wasteful or even more pointless? Also some can argue well-made leather shoes can last a lifetime and can be a sustainable investment, whereas plastic is harmful to the environment and animals.
I initially turned vegetarian for health reasons rather than solely focusing on the ethics of consuming animal products.