4 Mins Read
Scrolling through social media, I love stopping to watch cute animals on The Dodo. Lovable, lighthearted, and highly shareable, it’s a great outlet for animal lovers (such as myself) to watch and feel all the fuzzies. At times, emotionally and visually compelling videos will come across my feed that stops me dead in my tracks. Clips of animal abuse, neglect or cruelty – overt or unintentional – that will leave me shaken. Thousands of animals across the world are enduring painful experiments to test cosmetics and dying for the clothing industry – for us. It’s 2017 and it needs to stop.
The good news is, over the last 25 years, the public demand for cruelty-free has grown. A lot of forward thinking cosmetics companies have sworn off animal testing and earlier this month, luxe Italian brand Gucci announced its commitment to going fur-free beginning 2018 (selling its remaining fur items in auction with the proceeds donated to animal rights organizations). Technological advances and innovative non-animal testing have made it so we don’t have to sacrifice on quality when buying cruelty-free products! When you decide to get on board, it can be overwhelming. If you can’t find the leaping bunny logo or do all your shopping online, fret not! We have compiled a list of five amazing shops to get you started. Be cruelty-free and fabulous! ❤️
VElove
We all love a good handbag! Striving to bring sustainable vegan fashion to the masses via their line of chic handbags and accessories, PETA-approved VElove sources all their materials from high-quality leather alternatives like fabrics from recycled plastic bottles, MuSkin, and Portuguese cork. Their collections feature beloved animals whose lives are at great risk every day (from dogs and cats to moon bears!) and the company donates a portion of their proceeds to Animals Asia, Hong Kong’s very own nonprofit whose mission statement ‘Until The Cruelty Ends’ gives you an idea as to what they are working towards. Their newest collection? Using innovative Piñatex, the innovative fabric made from pineapple (you may remember reading about it in our recent article), the entire line of card holders, wallets, belts and bracelets are handcrafted by members of local shelter Christian Family Service Centre.
Find them online here or at Hong Kong lifestyle design retail Ginger Store: Shop 01-05, L10, 8 Argyle Street, Langham Place, Mong Kok; info@velovehk.com. Free shipping on all local orders.
Flora and Fauna
Australia’s leading online retail shop for all things vegan, Flora and Fauna features over 170 natural and organic brands ranging from makeup to skin care to dental care to skincare and even zero waste gifts. Since they ship internationally, you can enjoy their entire range, from best-selling Aussie and global brands like Vanessa Megan, Neal’s Yard Remedies, to No Nasties Make Up. The company is focused on making responsible decisions – last year they removed all plastics from their shipping orders, saving many tonnes of plastic overnight, and this year, they launched a partnership with innovative recycling company TerraCycle to ensure that everything at Flora & Fauna is now completely recyclable!
Shop them online here.
Beyond Skin
A luxury vegan footwear label based in the UK that ships worldwide, Beyond Skin is an award-winning brand looking to change the world one pair of heels at a time. Loved by high fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, Grazia and celebs alike (vegan Oscar winner Natalie Portman wore them at the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, AND in one of her films!), all their shoes are made from recycled materials sourced across the globe with a goal to be as eco-friendly as possible. Working closely with their factories in Spain, the Beyond Skin team are committed to ensure ethical labor philosophies. The company also gives back by donating a portion of their profits to grassroots environmental and social projects.
Shop them online here.
Herbivore Clothing
A retail company and e-shop based in Portland, Oregon that sells cruelty-free clothes (we love their tees & hoodies), accessories (think handbags, wallets, belts), books (also magazines & vegan cookbooks), skincare, candles more, Herbivore Clothing has been a big supporter of the vegan movement for more than a decade. Herbivore ships internationally, thank goodness!
Shop them here.
Vegan Zing
One of the newer online stores that opened this summer, Vegan Zing stocks a hand-picked collection of clothing, accessories, yoga, and beauty finds. From eco-friendly handmade cork handbags to sustainable bamboo sunglasses, this eclectic e-shop has an broad range of trendy, fashion-forward finds. Based out of Singapore, Vegan Zing ships internationally from Orange County, California.
Shop them here.
Images courtesy of Pexels (lead), VElove, Herbivore Clothing and Aarni.
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