Mahatma Gandhi was the ultimate eco-chic fashion warrior with his championing of khadi . He made the humble homespun cloth more coveted than all the western silks, cottons and brocades then favoured by India’s elite. Seventy years on, ethical, vegan fashion has become decidedly luxurious.
This past April in New York, my Boston-based girlfriend, and gorgeous mother-of-four, Nirva Patel was sporting an “animal cruelty free, vegan” black handbag with gold hardware. “What’s this?” I enquired, eyeing it longingly. I got an insta-lesson on vegan manufacturing. “These bags are made in Poland by Alexandra Kościkiewicz and use mostly PVC free polyurethane fabric — not pleather and not rexine,” Nirva replied. “And the glue used is vegetable-based, not tested on animals.”
Nirva, a devout Jain, puts her money where her mouth is when it comes to her animal cruelty beliefs. She used to be a lover of high fashion and dressed the part. What changed? “I remember a turning point when my kids asked me what leather was and when I told them it was animal skin, they put all their shoes in a pile and said ‘give them away.” “Those are some sensitive kids,” I said. “They are and I realised I need to do the same thing with my closet! Did you know Elon Musk said all Tesla interiors are going to be vegan?”she asked. I did not. “I bought my Tesla because of it.”
I quickly pulled out my phone to do a quick Google search and saw that Musk, a committed environmentalist, was indeed offering vegan interiors as an option. A cursory search today reveals that non-vegan options are no longer available on Tesla’s website. If car companies lead the way, can fashion be that far behind?
We all know Stella McCartney has been a guiding light as a vegetarian (not vegan) brand and Givenchy made waves for its Antigona faux leather satchel, but the choices always seemed few and far between.
As a vegetarian, and an on-and-off vegan, I was intrigued, but there’s many a slip between the cup and lip. It’s hard to stay true to one’s beliefs when one spies a gorgeous handbag or sexy thigh high leather boots. Yes, I am weak-willed, I admit it. Plus, I hate moralising. To each their own Gucci, Prada, Chanel or YSL. And sustainable, vegan fashion always seemed so hippie-esque, an aesthetic I only dabbled in once, briefly, in high school.
Since I still needed some convincing, evangelical Nirva sent me links to some high-end vegan brands and I dutifully followed them on Instagram. Soon, I was swooning over the boutique AllTrueist. Their Veerah (from the Sanskrit for ‘warrior’) shoes, did not look vegan at all. Generous Nirva gifted me a pair and when they arrived in Mumbai, I felt like Cinderella, very much the belle of the ball. Could vegan fashion be this gorgeous? Patent green pumps with tassles on the back, they were fierce and fabulous, and made of a synthetic material that didn’t make one’s feet sweat or smell. A cushion inside for added comfort made them even more divine. At almost $400 they weren’t cheap, but what shoes are these days?
Soon I was perusing the online boutique for all the other high-end vegan brands and felt giddy. There’s Leyla Yucel, who designs the handbag brand L Yucel out of New York. She used to work for designers Kate Spade and Ralph Lauren, and has made it her mission to embrace eco-friendly materials without comprising on quality. The list goes on.
Had I come late to the party? Yes, and that’s a function of my age. Not being a millennial, my generation grew up somewhat oblivious to sustainable, eco-friendly western fashion. As Indians we were all too familiar with khadi and handloom, but were not exposed to much outside our borders. But that’s changing. Across the world, it’s the younger generation who are making ethical fashion choices, spurring mass market clothiers like H&M to promote a sustainable Conscious label, who even urge consumers to bring in old clothes for recycling. Let’s hope our planet is better for it.
This fortnightly column tracks the indulgent pursuits of the one-percenters.
