Question by keaganthevegan: How can I make sure I only purchase ethical clothes and shoes?
I thought it was just fur, but I was shocked by all the materials that were made from animals, even leather! So how can I know if shoes or jackets that I have my eye on are ethical and animal free?
Supply and demand, dude. And anyway, I’m not looking for an argument. Just a way to make sure I’m not wearing cruelty.
Oh, cool. Thanks! 
Best answer:
Answer by B-2
ethical?? since when are ethics involved in getting dressed?? the animal is already dead. you’re not bringing it back to life by not purchasing a leather belt. besides, if you don’t buy those cool gator skin boots, someone else will.
edit: i almost forgot to answer the question. silly me….
leather
wool (though they don’t kill the sheep)
fur
that’s pretty much it.
Give your answer to this question below!
even leather oh good god not the cows?!!
what did ye think leather was made of?
ye can get that synthetic leather its really just plastic!
Read the labels and avoid things that say fur, leather, wool, down feathers, or silk. On shoes, check to see whether the label says “all man-made materials”.
Here’s a compassionate clothing guide that might give you some ideas: http://www.peta.org/living/clothingguide.asp
Good luck!
You can start shopping second hand clothing shops and purchase fabrics that are completely plant-based – this way you’re pretty much recycling clothes and not really contributing profits to any companies that might be unethical (like companies that use a lot of toxic dyes to color their clothes, or maybe companies that have sweatshop workers). There are still ethical issues to consider outside of direct animal ingredients like silk, wool, leather, etc.
Otherwise, there are vegan clothing companies or companies that swear to be organic or cruelty free, but sometimes the clothes are expensive. There’s a vegan store about 30 miles away from where I live and I found a lot of great organic clothing that’s made in the USA that was pretty cheap – I bought a fifteen dollar hoodie and a ten dollar T-shirt.
So to sum it up, the source matters (some companies are better than others, and the more local and natural their clothing production process is, the better it is for the environment too – less toxins and dyes, less transport and production related carbon emissions, etc). Also, secondhand or thrift stores rock because they’re crazy cheap and the money goes to the organization selling the clothes secondhand rather than the company behind the clothes.
My main standard in what I buy is “cruelty-free”, this entails fair trade (sweatshop free and ethically grown fibers), ecologically friendly, and animal free (unless it is cruelty-free wool). This website may be a good starting point for you.
http://www.ecomall.com/
Here are some sites you may like:
http://www.rawganique.com/
http://www.vickerey.com/index.html
http://www.adbusters.org/metas/corpo/blackspotshoes/index.php
http://nosweatapparel.com/
http://www.americanapparel.net/
Cruelty-free clothes can be a little pricey. As the market for them grows this will start changing. You can also buy second hand clothes. This way you can “recycle”, while also sometimes finding some really unique clothing. I will often buy second-hand clothes and make creative changes with them.
ps. Here are some sites if your interested in learning about the fair trade movement:
http://www.fairtradefederation.org/
http://www.globalexchange.org/
look for the tag “all man made materials”