By now, we’ve all heard of veganism. From Oatly’s milk to Linda McCartney’s sausages, it’s not uncommon for vegan staples to make their way into everyone’s diet! But, did you know that veganism is about more than just food?
Vegan clothing is following closely in the footsteps of those adopting the animal-free diet, with faux fur and fake silks on the rise. In fact, many believe that a fashion industry free from any animal-derived products is the future. But, will we really live in a world without leather? Let’s take a look.
What is Vegan Clothing?
Vegan clothes are those that don’t contain any animal components. So, anything with leather, wool, suede, and silk is out of the question. There are also some sneaky animal-derived products that are harder to spot, like bone which is commonly used to create buttons on high-end suits. None of these makes the cut in vegan clothing!
Is Vegan Clothing Seeing a Rise in Demand?
Vegan fashion is gaining traction in the world – and fast. In 2019, the global vegan fashion market for women was valued at just over $396 billion (around £325 billion). It’s expected that this is going to continue to grow at a compound annual rate of 13.6%, which is pretty high! By 2027, the market will be worth around $1 trillion dollars.
The market can tell you a lot about the state of an industry, and as vegan clothing goes it’s looking good. But, the global leather industry alone is valued at around the same as the vegan fashion industry ($394 billion or £322 GBP), and that doesn’t start to take into account the value of the silk, suede, and wool industries. However, there are some signs that change could happen faster than the market is anticipating.
The Vegan Diet Is Still Rapidly Increasing
Veganism itself has absolutely erupted in the UK and other countries are following suit. Between 2014 and 2019, the vegan community quadrupled in size in Britain, and sales of plant-based foods grew three times faster than general food sales in 2021. The industry is booming with no signs of slowing down!
As veganism grows, so too will interest in vegan clothing, and as vegan diets are growing much faster than the predictions for vegan fashion, we suspect the 13.6% compound increase in the clothing industry could be a little low.
Celebrities Are Championing Vegan Clothing
If there’s anything that’s going to fuel an industry, it’s celebrity endorsement! A wide range of famous faces are pushing to see animal products removed from the fashion industry, and their involvement is helping to spread the word and put vegan clothes on the map. Right now, the most notable is Billie Eilish.
A vegan herself, the talented musician isn’t quiet about her passion for vegan fashion. In 2021, fashion house Oscar De La Renta agreed to remove all fur from their collection after Eilish made it a must before she would wear their dress to the Met Gala. She also gave concert-goers in London access to a climate event at the O2 which promoted vegan and sustainable fashion, with Dame Vivienne Westwood, a sustainable fashion pioneer, attending as a guest speaker.
Of course, Billie Eilish isn’t the only celebrity promoting vegan fashion. Kim Kardashian has also notably gone fur-free, Emma Watson is often seen sporting vegan brands in her public appearances, and fashion designer Stella McCartney has completely ditched animal-derived products in her collections. All of this is helping to accelerate change and bring the problems to the public’s attention.
A Growing Number of Vegan Alternatives
For vegan fashion to be the future, we need great replacements for the animal products currently being used. Leather, for example, is commonly replaced with plastic. But this isn’t always as comfortable or long-lasting to wear, and it’s not exactly the most sustainable option either. For many people, the use of plastic is just as much a problem as the use of leather.
Fortunately, better vegan alternatives are increasing. Synthetic leathers from food waste, for example, are on the rise with innovative companies paving the way for these cruelty-free, eco-friendly fabrics, as we explored in this blog post.
Stella McCartney has also revealed faux fur made from plant-based materials and recycled polyester that can be completely recycled at the end of its lifecycle. Meanwhile, wool can easily be replaced by Tencel, a fibre made from wood cellulose in a closed-loop production system. This is just the start of eco-friendly vegan clothing, too, so watch this space!
So, Is Vegan Clothing the Future of Fashion?
It’s hard to know whether we’ll ever completely stop using leathers, furs, and silks. In all likeliness, there’ll always be some people creating a demand for these animal products. However, it’s not hard to see that things are changing. The use of fur is already much less accepted by society than it was just a few decades ago, and it’d be surprising if the same didn’t happen for other animal-derived materials.
With more celebrity endorsement, an increase in awareness, and a whole host of innovative vegan materials working their way into production, we can easily see animal products going out of fashion. But for now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next.
Find Vegan Accessories on Finsu
At Finsu, we’re big believers in sustainable vegan fashion. One of our partners, LaBante, create exquisitely crafted vegan accessories, from recycled vegan backpacks to apple leather trainers. Take a look at our range of bags and purses – featuring LaBante’s cruelty-free collection – on Finsu to start browsing their range. Or, try using our Vegan filter when looking through our entire collection of sustainable brands to easily discover all of the best eco-friendly and animal-free clothing in one place. Simple!