Nobody wants to see any kind of harm come to innocent animals, but we believe that most people simply aren’t aware of the harm that is bestowed upon them via society’s favorite fashion fabrics. Perhaps, if they knew, they’d boycott these products all together, and there would be no need or desire for companies to produce them.
For that reason, we’re going to do our part to educate you on the fashion fabrics that are pure animal cruelty, in hopes that you’ll join our mission to protect innocent animals all over the world.
Silk
You know that sexy, silky evening gown you’ve had your eye on? Don’t go there. Let’s talk about silk: you may be aware that it comes from silkworms. Did you know that silkworms are gassed alive inside their cocoons as larvae so that their silk can be obtained for fashion use? And did you know that over 3,000 silkworms must die in order to produce just one pound of silk? In case you were wondering, silkworms aren’t creatures desensitized to pain or suffering. They actually produce endorphins and have physical response to pain.
Cashmere
The high-end fabric that lines the winter shelves of stores all over the world is called cashmere, and it comes from cashmere goats. Consider this: cashmere goats live in parts of the world that are very cold; thus they’re all equipped with soft undercoats that keep them warm and protect them from environmental dangers. When consumers want cashmere, farmers capture these goats and go through a stressful shearing process to steal their soft coats. The goats are then put back in their environment, and left to suffer through cold without the protection of their coat.
Shearling
Shearling is what is referred to as a sheep’s skin tanned with its wool still attached. Let that sink in for a minute. The shearling itself refers to the sheep – a yearling (baby) sheep who has been shorn just once. A shearling garment is made from a sheep shorn shortly before slaughter. By the way, it takes dozens of sheep skins to actually make one shearling garment.
Karakul Lamb Fur
Also called “Persian wool”, Karakul Lamb Fur is among the cruelest types of fabric in fashion. This fur comes from actual baby lamb fetuses, still in their mothers’ wombs. Why? Their incredibly rare curly fur actually begins to straighten out just within 3 days of birth. Some farmers simply wait until birth, and slaughter the lamb immediately after birth. Some actually sacrifice the mother as well, slashing her throat and cutting open her abdomen to extract the unborn lamb.
Leather
Leather is a byproduct of the meat industry and is typically made from cow skins. However, it can also be made from pigs, goats, sheep, alligators, ostriches, kangaroos, dogs and even cats. Millions of cows are killed in the United States each year in slaughterhouses for leather.
During the process, they are exposed to extreme crowding, castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning.
While they are slaughtered for their skins, they may have their throats cut and may be skinned and dismembered alive.
Faux leather is a viable alternative and has really come a long way from the “pleather” days in the 1970’s.
In fact, today’s faux leathers are as durable as animal leather and comes in a variety of textures, colors, and patterns.
Faux leather can be made from pineapples, mushrooms, soft PVC, cork and even sea kelp!
Once and for all, animal cruelty is no joke. Please think twice about your fashion choices.
