Most fashion brands use animal products, whether that be for their leather, insulation, and other materials.
Most fashion brands also have highly complex supply chains, which mean that it’s very difficult to check and verify whether animals are being dealt with in cruelty-free manners.
Most fashion brands aren’t transparent about their impact on our Planet, People, and Animals.
At culthread, we do things differently. We’re setting the highest ethical standards, and are completely transparent about it. That’s why we’re 100% vegan.
Jackets and fashion more generally is very animal heavy
Animal-based products are everywhere in fashion. Particularly in jackets.
The wool from your jumpers, the animal-derived glue used in your shoes, the leather patch on your jeans or jacket, the down feather in your puffer jacket, and more!
Thanks in part to PETA, there is growing awareness on the use of animals within fashion, and a move towards reducing animal cruelty.
However, despite new standards for responsibility and no animal cruelty being introduced, these are often very hard to track and keep objective. For instance, the Responsible Down Standard goes in, checks a factory, but then doesn’t check again. That means that cruelty-free standards aren’t enforced and these can drift back to highly efficient and cruel techniques.
We dove deep into the issues around down here.
We dove deep into the issues around leather here.
“By products from the meat industry”
The classic argument made by those using meat and down. However, not only is the meat industry far from cruelty-free, but it’s also inherently not sustainable – which extends to any by-product of it.
Have you been buying organic meat and cut foie gras from the menu? Great – you should also be aware of where your down and leather comes from. Unfortunately, this is really tough due to traceability struggles in the supply chain.
The meat industry is fundamentally not sustainable. Cattle rearing emits between 11 and 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Leather is extremely profitable as a business in itself beyond the meat industry, and thus encourages the cattle industry further. Down feathers and geese is the same, though the greenhouse gas emissions are much lower.
We’d argue that these products are “co-products”, boosting an unsustainable meat industry.
That’s why culthread decided to be 100% vegan
Owing to the difficulty in checking whether or not down or leather is actually responsible, and the way these products benefit the meat industry, culthread decided to be 100% vegan.
In that way, we also ensure that we’re 100% cruelty-free.
Animals should not suffer for our style, and they don’t need to. There are perfectly gorgeous, high-quality materials that don’t use animal products and suit every style.
At culthread, we use coffee-cycled vegan leather, made of recycled coffee beans and plastic bottles. Instead of down feather, we use recycled fibre down insulation made from recycled plastic bottles.
You can feel good, whilst doing good.