Which brings me to a debate I've been having with myself the last week or so.
On Monday during lunch, I decided to check out a vintage shop near my work, Timeless Apparel. It's full of great finds from every era, and that day I happened to land upon a section of lovely 80s leather skirts. A few, in particular, were purple. They were also all on sale.
Now, I love vintage skirts (especially awesome ones from the 80s), and I love purple, and I love sales. The problem? The leather. Most of you may know I'm a vegetarian, and have been for over 15 years. It's more than a diet to me, it's an important part of my life and drives a lot of the moral decisions I make. As a rule, I don't wear leather or fur or even angora (the shearing or plucking practices can be very cruel).
As I left the store, I wondered if vintage/second hand leather (or fur, if you want to expand the question) was considered "ok" to purchase and wear, since I wouldn't directly be supporting the leather industry by buying into it. Or was I? I started to do some research online for other peoples' opinions on the issue (mainly from other vegetarians and vegans). Some were in agreement of wearing recycled leather and fur, and others were completely opposed to it.
After weighing both sides of the argument, I was still a bit torn, but more on the agreeing side. From a purely ecological standpoint, which is more sustainable: buying a pair of used/second hand leather shoes, or buying a brand new pair of cheap synthetic shoes that will fall apart and end up in a landfill? Which has a lesser impact on the environment? The choice is obvious (to me, anyways). And again, you're not directly buying into and supporting the leather industry by contributing to increasing demand.
On the other hand, it's still wearing the skin of an animal, something I'm against (for the same reasons as eating them). So does wearing recycled/vintage leather comply with my own morals and values about animal rights and ethics? I think in a large part it does, but in other ways it doesn't. That being said, I would still never wear fur, even recycled, but I think that's more to do with the point that it's obvious you're wearing a dead animal. (Although, both synthetic leather and synthetic fur can definitely look like the real thing).
It's a personal choice, and after much thought I decided it was okay and right for me to be able to wear recycled leather. I'm not going to nuts, but I have the option and the choice. That's not to say that I believe other veggies should follow suit - everyone needs to do what's best for them (and I believe, in this case, that it's also best for the environment). As long as I'm comfortable with my decision, I shouldn't have to justify it to others - although unfortunately, I have the feeling I'll have to anyways.
So, in light of my decision, I went back to the store on Thursday and purchased a very lovely purple leather skirt:
Funky and fab and oh so 80s!
The Details:
Era: 80s
Label: unknown
Material: leather
no label
What do you think about vegetarians or vegans wearing recycled leather and/or fur?
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