Conscious design: Rise of vegan fashion
If you think your city is simply seeing a surge of vegan restaurants or plant-based options on menus, and grocery store shelves are just filling up with meatless sausages and nuggets, it’s time to take a closer look. The vegan industry is expanding far beyond food, touching every aspect of fashion and lifestyle.
Many well-known fashion brands like Calvin Klein, Gucci, Michael Kors, Versace, Furla, Armani, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger have completely stopped using real fur. High-street brands like Zara, Marks & Spencer, and H&M have also stopped using animal fur. Even Queen Elizabeth recognised the changing attitudes towards fur and stopped wearing real fur in 2019. Recently, Balenciaga introduced a limited-edition version of its Triple S sneaker made from Bananatex, and last year, Billie Eilish was the first to own Gucci’s new vegan Horsebit Bag. In fact, the vegan fashion market is projected to be valued at USD 518.05 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to USD 837.33 billion by 2031.
“Consumers are increasingly caring about animal protection and the environment. Thanks to investigations by PETA entities, more people are aware of the cruelty associated with the production of leather, fur, wool and other animal derived materials. Globally, from shoes to cars, brands are embracing vegan,” said Ashima Kukreja, Chief Corporate Liaison, PETA India.
LinkedIn reports that nearly 50% of global apparel consumers now consider ethical and environmental factors when shopping. Celebrities like Ariana Grande and Jennifer Aniston are vocal about their vegan fashion choices. In India, stars like Sunny Leone, Dia Mirza, Sonakshi Sinha, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Milind Soman have appeared in PETA India campaigns promoting vegan fashion.
“Supermodel Milind Soman and his wife, Ankita Konwar, starred in PETA India’s vegan fashion lookbook, which was launched in collaboration with FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week. Sunny Leone took part in our ‘Leather Is a Rip-Off’ campaign, unveiled in collaboration with Lakme Fashion Week. With the support of Lakme Fashion Week, we encouraged 33 prominent designers to commit to going leather-free, benefiting both animals and the environment. Notable designers who embraced this initiative include Gaurav Gupta, House of Masaba by Masaba Gupta, JADE by Monica and Karishma, péro by Aneeth Arora, Ranna Gill, Shyamal & Bhumika, Sonaakshi Raaj, Siddartha Tytler and Rina Dhaka. Anita Dongre and Purvi Doshi have already been leading the way by staying leather-free for some time,” said Kukreja. In fact, Dongre made waves with her new clothing line, crafted from biodegradable yarn and featuring vegan accessories. She shared that 25 years ago, she made a conscious decision to avoid any association with the cruelty animals endure for fashion, driven by her awareness of their pain and suffering.
A 2021 article in Vogue Business mentioned that leather goods, especially handbags and shoes, are the most profitable category in the luxury sector. However, it’s clear that leather has a significant environmental impact due to the emissions from animal agriculture. The tanning process also uses toxic chemicals that are harmful to both workers and the environment. Kukreja told the Millennium Post that there is increasing interest in leather made from recycled materials and plants as a more sustainable alternative. “Plant-based leather production is a simpler process and uses materials like banana stems, pineapple leaves, mushrooms, apples, cactus—typically making use of agricultural waste. Many companies are making accessories from recycled plastic. Chennai-based Central Leather Research Institute was awarded by PETA India for making leather out of mangos. The National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology is making vegan leather out of agricultural waste,” she said.
Those who love fur and leather bags might wonder, if not animal fur and leather, then what? Then, there are options galore. IIT Kanpur-backed ‘Fleather,’ a regenerative approach created leather from floral waste. This innovation gained global recognition as one of the 15 finalists for the 2022 Earthshot Prize, announced by Prince William.
Kukreja of PETA India informed that the quality of vegan materials is so high that companies ranging from Crocs and Volvo are also moving to be leather-free. “Indian brands like Lusso Lifestyle, The CAI Store, Anita Dongre, Ethik, Sarjaa, FOReT, Malai, Banofi, Recore, Banhide and others are manufacturing or using vegan leather, some of which these days is made from cork, banana stems, apple, cactus and other plants, to create leather-look shoes, handbags, belts, and jewelry. And there’s always jute, hemp and other eco-friendly vegan materials to choose. In 2022, PETA India partnered with Metro Brands to launch its first-ever vegan-friendly shoe collection,” said Kukreja.
