Vegan Talk Forums

BigBecka · Animal defender Joined: 02 Dec 2006 Posts: 415

Had a good question from the guys at work: is it better to wear clothes that are vegan but made from plastics (nylon, polyester, acryllic, etc.) or clothes made from wool and hide, on the basis that they pollute the planet less?

My reply at the the time was that the ideal situation would be to wear clothes made from cotton, linen and hemp (and other plant sources).

However, whereas I can get some nice casual clothes and summer suits, I come a bit unstuck in winter. I need to wear a suit for work, and can't get away with linen when it's cold. Most winter suits are either wool or polyester. Likewise, I have trouble finding jumpers and coats, and work shoes tend to made from either leather or plastics.

Can anyone recommend mail-order vegan clothes sites?

AndyBa · Lord of the posts Joined: 27 May 2001 Posts: 670

Hm.. that's a tough question... cotton, linen and hemp indeed is a better choice ecology wise than synthetic fabrics, or is it? not sure... don't have enough information about it.
have to research a little

But it's quite difficult to find clothes made of cotton, linen and hemp only.

Fur and leather isn't an option anyway since it's linked directly to killing the animals.
And leather industry isn't at all friendly to environment... one of my friends used to live not far from one of the factories that refine leather.. the smell in the region was so horrible, I couldn't be there for long time.
Much worse then from old cars and such.
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Andy`Ba

The human body has no more need for cows' milk than it does for dogs' milk, horses' milk, or giraffes' milk. ~Michael Klaper, M.D., author of Vegan Nutrition: Pure & Simple

BigBecka · Animal defender Joined: 02 Dec 2006 Posts: 415

There seems to be quite a fashion in jersey cotton at the moment, and I just got some great black linen trousers for work (from Marks & Spencer)

Unfortunately, it's a bit cold at the moment still...

There are some shops in Glastonbury that sell hemp and sisl clothes, but they are casual only. Yaoh also have a few clothes. They do mail order if you're interested?
http://www.cannabis.uk.net/TEST/catalog/
http://www.yaoh.co.uk

I'm currently having a real headache trying to get a dress for a black tie dinner

vintage Chanel on a budget? (Coco made her name using jersey cotton during the war) Back to ebay!

AndyBa · Lord of the posts Joined: 27 May 2001 Posts: 670

It's interesting where do they get the hemp for clothes?

I mean, is it allowed to grow cannabis in UK?
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Andy`Ba

The human body has no more need for cows' milk than it does for dogs' milk, horses' milk, or giraffes' milk. ~Michael Klaper, M.D., author of Vegan Nutrition: Pure & Simple

Sergio · Vegan Talk Veteran Joined: 24 May 2001 Posts: 227

My opinion is that considering suffering synthetic clothes are much better than animal based clothes.

BigBecka · Animal defender Joined: 02 Dec 2006 Posts: 415

No, we're not allowed cannibis

not the sort that makes you high

although there was some grown for "medical research" a few years ago (the government considered legalising it as a painkiller for people with severe arthritus / cancer).

There are actually two types of cannabis plants: subspecies sativa (var. sativa and spontanea) which is the hemp used for clothes (and is not much use as a drug), and subspecies indica, which is used to make marijuana and hashish [quickly scanning wikipedia]. There is a farm near us in North Devon growing the non-drug hemp - apparently the police occasionally get called out by confused locals

http://www.goodwebsite.co.uk

Hemp's getting quite popular over here: apparently it is the only seed to contain omega oils 3, 6 and 9 in the same ratios as the human body, and the oil can be used in cooking hot or cold. You can also get hemp protein isolate, as well as the fabric. It's a weed, so farming hemp doesn't require pesticides or fertilisers.

crashcrew1974 · Vegan Talk Guest Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 11