Ethical wardrobes go mainstream

By: Leonie Barrie - 14 February 2013 18:17

With ethical consumerism on the rise - especially among young people - a new challenge facing retailers who want to tap into this market is that of producing animal-free fashions. And indeed, taking materials like leather, fur, wool, silk, down and exotic skins out of the supply chain is nothing short of a challenge.

But it's one to which retailers and brands are rising.

From high street favourites like H&M and Topshop, to top designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney, all have been praised for their dedication to ethical sourcing and animal welfare by the animal rights group PETA.

To coincide with the launch of a new logo, which designers and retailers can use to identify vegan clothes and accessories that they sell online or in stores, PETA has recognsed what it describes as "the best cruelty-free contributions" to the fashion world.

The first-ever PETA-Approved Vegan Fashion Awards are a clear sign that companies are responding to the shift away from disposable fashion and towards responsible consumerism.