Fur Production is Cruel to People, Too October 27, 2009

Flipping through the new VegNews yesterday, I came across Rory Freedman’s brief retelling of a confrontation with a callous, nasty fur-wearer. In typical fashion, the perpetrator made it exceptionally clear that she didn’t give a flying fudge about the living beings who suffered brutish lives and extremely painful deaths to become part of a coat.

This was, of course, hardly surprising to me. In a previous job, I routinely had to interact with a large number of fur-loving women. All but one of them* were appallingly rude, whiny, self-entitled, and extremely spoiled. Their unpleasant behavior included, but most certainly was not limited to:

*Shoving AmEx cards in our faces (they all knew the establishment had never accepted them – and I’m not exaggerating; they were unusually aggressive)

*Throwing tantrums when there was a wait for a fitting room

*Verbally abusing staff (one was also prone to uttering ethnic slurs – go figure why someone like that was patronizing a business with a predominantly Asian staff, but she was such a bully that even the business owner was afraid to give her the boot)

*Coming in ten minutes to closing time and demanding same-day turnaround (my boss was quite adamant that she didn’t want to run her business like a sweatshop, so fulfilling such a demand was impossible)

*Coming by after closing time and banging – HARD – on the glass door (as if we were going to wait on anyone after hours – the older employees all had to relieve their babysitters and we younger ones all would have been late for our second jobs)

Do I have to go on, or do you get the idea?

I strongly suspect that someone who doesn’t give a damn about animal rights isn’t going to care all that much about human rights, either. However, the fur industry can in fact be cruel to people, too; and some image-conscious fur-wearers might stop wearing fur if they had any idea how horrible it makes them look. Only someone who truly doesn’t care if everyone knows they lack empathy (think Anna Wintour) can afford to act like they don’t care about the exploitation of the working class.

If you still haven’t picked up a copy of Ellen Ruppel Shell’s book Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, it’s worth investing in a copy for the following passage alone:

So Deng, a migrant to Guangdong from a mountainous region of central China, told a Washington Post reporter in January 2009 how he had stood knee-deep in vats of hot toxic dye, seven days a week, twelve hours a day, at his job in the Overseas Fur Factory for a salary of $15 a month. Deng said many workers lost their footing or passed out in the fumes…

I was able to locate the article in the Washington Post’s online archives; a free preview can be viewed here (alas, the Post charges for viewing or printing archived articles in their entirety). However, do note that fur production is not the focus of the article.

That passage is also of use when dealing with anyone who falsely claims fur production can be eco-friendly (as mentioned, by yours truly, in several previous entries, faux fur is far more energy-efficient and much less toxic). Would a respected newspaper like the Washington Post make up a story mentioning toxic fur dye when the fur industry and its environmental effects were not the subject of the article in the first place? I don’t think so.

*ONE fur-wearer was polite and well-behaved…which may or may not have had something to do with the fact that her teenage son hated to come in for fittings until I started working there. He had a bit of a crush on me, so she shrewdly inquired about my work schedule. I have to admit it was clever of her.

The Trouble with Greening Your Furniture October 23, 2009

Even if you aren’t planning to re-decorate your home anytime soon, do take a minute to read The Truth About Green Upholstery, an Apartment Therapy Re-Nest guest post by furniture maker Matthew Haly. Frankly, it’s a rather depressing article, but a very honest look at an industry that isn’t exactly motivated to green its products (and, of course, there are plenty of companies that aren’t above greenwashing).

I am not a furniture maker, but I can confirm that Mr. Haly speaks the truth. My mom is an interior designer by training, so I spent my childhood surrounded by carpet samples, paint swatches, and piles of upholstery fabric. Of course, Mom re-upholstered many pieces of furniture over the years, and I myself have done the same thing with some of my own furniture.

Mom believes it’s better to restore and re-upholster an old, ripped chair than it is to wastefully throw the whole thing out, and I agree with her. But what about when one wants to do so as eco-consciously as possible?

Mr. Haly’s article consists largely of breaking down the materials and labor costs of producing green-as-possible furniture versus conventionally produced furniture. He does an excellent job of explaining what is and isn’t green, and why what is greenest is apt to be shockingly expensive.

I had a taste of this myself very recently – the seating in the store is finally starting to fade, and a few of the seams are starting to look strained. It’s time to re-upholster.

The logical thing to do was head to Michael Levine in LA. I flipped through several books of eco-friendly fabric swatches, looking for the right shade of blue or green, or maybe animal print. I knew eco-friendly fabrics tend to cost more, but when I asked the sales associate for pricing…holy crap.

Upholstery-grade polyester faux suede runs around $18 per yard. Sensuede, a faux suede which is made from recycled and recyclable plastic, can top $80 per yard. Ouch!

And that was one of the LESS costly materials. Some of the printed fabrics I considered topped $124 per yard (of course, they were made from post-industrial waste).

Granted, I’ll save some money by re-upholstering the seats myself (and I’m not opposed to hand-stitching), but still…

Oh, by the way, when you are in LA, do check out Michael Levine’s apparel-fabric store across Maple Avenue (gross-out alert: both stores sell cow hides). Their selection of eco-friendly fabric has expanded considerably in the past year. It started with maybe a dozen bolts of organic cotton in boring, sludgy colors, but now they have cotton, bamboo, Tencel, etc. in a variety of colors and prints. I snatched up some gorgeous purple tartan that I’m making into a dress. (I suspect some of the fabrics might be more greenwashed than green, but considering that the fabric you’ll see in chain fabric stores sure as hell isn’t green at all, this is still progress.) Best of all, eco-friendly apparel fabrics don’t always have the sticker-shock effect that eco-friendly upholstery fabrics do (pricing varied from $8-24 per yard; higher than conventional, but still not too bad).

P.S. If you can afford Sensuede when you are ready to re-upholster that old armchair, it is SO soft, and the colors are absolutely gorgeous.

You Can Lead Horses to Water… October 13, 2009

Actual conversation between myself and a customer (last Friday):

Customer: Hi, do you have any vegan TOMS shoes?

Me: Yes, they’re right over here.

Customer (visibly upset): Are these ALL the colors you have?

Me: This is what was available to us, yes.

Customer (agitated): Don’t they make ANY vegan slip-ons in plain black?

Me: Not at the moment. The only vegan TOMS shoe that comes in black is the wrap boot.

Customer: What about next season? I really want a black slip-on. The boots are way too hot.

Me: Not next season either. We’ve spoken to them about that several times, actually.

Customer: Why don’t they do it?

Me: We’ve asked, but they never answer the question. We could probably sell ten pairs a day if they’d do a solid black vegan slip-on.

Customer: When will some new colors be coming in?

Me: Not until spring, unfortunately.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that if she didn’t like the khaki and charcoal shoes that were in stock, she probably wasn’t going to like the spring line either. I do not fear color one bit (I own the world’s one and only pair of burnt-orange ahneemähl Taxi demi-clogs), and my inner five-year-old heartily approves of the blue and purple batik-inspired prints TOMS has chosen for their spring vegan collection, but my outer practical adult is well aware that my customers overwhelmingly prefer black shoes.

As a shoe color, black has every connotation under the sun – saint or sinner, scary rocker or strict schoolmarm, scruffy beatnik or polished fashion editor. It hides dirt, it can be worn with any other color, and a shoe that looks outrageous in red or purple just might be conservative enough for work/traffic court/dinner with Grandma if it is available in black. Simply put, it works for virtually everyone in virtually every situation.

My customers are a highly eclectic lot. They are flight attendants, dental hygienists, math teachers, artist’s models, grandmothers, skater kids, and divorce lawyers. Some of them can get away with wearing colorful footwear whenever they feel like it, but the fact of the matter is, most people need at least one pair of black shoes, and many prefer to have several (i.e. black patent peep-toes for hot dates, matte black ballet flats for the office, and black canvas slip-ons for going to the farmer’s market).

This is especially important to remember when designing with the veg*n community in mind. Many of us don’t make very much money, so when we can only invest in a few good pairs of shoes, we tend to buy basic black.

I’ve written to TOMS about this issue, but ultimately most suppliers make what they want to make. I can only hope they’ll eventually realize the importance of fully understanding a target market’s unique wants and needs.

Lest anyone think I’m trying to pick on TOMS (believe me, I am trying to help them), they are not the only company that hasn’t heeded my advice and most likely won’t be the last.

I told one of my handbag-and-wallet suppliers that my customers disliked the re-designed wallets and wanted the classic versions back. They decided not to take my advice, and I ultimately had to drop their line because they were no longer willing to make what my clientele wanted.

I begged and begged another bag-and-wallet supplier to make some smaller handbags after they only made huge bags for one solid year. At the time, they didn’t respond. They have since realized I was right (along with a large number of other retailers who had the same complaint). Still, it would have been so much easier on my customers and more profitable for the supplier if they had just listened in the first place.

I find that some companies are only responsive when they hear from the consumers directly. Maybe it’ll work with a certain shoe supplier. In any case, it certainly couldn’t hurt to drop TOMS a line if you want them to make a plain black vegan slip-on at some point in the future.

Stella on Fashion and Ethics October 4, 2009

If you haven’t read today’s Guardian interview with Stella McCartney, you’re missing out.

Anyone who even thinks they might want to work in fashion really, really needs to read the article. Especially those who think they might want to hang on to their sense of ethics.

Advice for Would-Be Vegan Designers, Part 6 September 29, 2009

Most of the knowledge and skill that are necessary for a successful design career come from education and hands-on training. Trust me on that.

But, reading a book never hurts. Here are my recommendations for aspiring designers:

Technical books. Reviewing a learned skill is never a bad idea, and may help you understand why your pattern maker is pushing really hard to get you to change something that seems insignificant. Hold on to your design-school textbooks. I still refer to my pattern-making textbook almost every time I whip up a new garment.

Books about the history of fashion. If you are studying fashion, you will most likely have a copy of Survey of Historic Costume by Phyllis Tortora and Keith Eubank. Save that book! Designers have long looked to the past for inspiration; sooner or later you probably will, too. Of course, there are many other books about historical attire, and they’re all worth a look, but Survey of Historic Costume is the big one.

Interested in corsetry? You’ll need Corsets and Crinolines by Norah Waugh.

Chic Savages by John Fairchild. What could a magazine publisher know about fashion? Actually, quite a lot. (Note: though Fairchild has been officially retired for years, it’s long been claimed that W columnist Countess Louise J. Esterhazy is in fact Fairchild himself, and I, for one, suspect the rumor is true.) The book is worth reading for Fairchild’s biting humor alone, though his insights are priceless.

The Beautiful People by Marylin Bender. This book is not easy to find, but well worth the trouble. Bender’s scathing 1967 volume dissects the fashionable jet-set at a time when the Youthquake was still at its peak and Betsey Johnson (only 22 at the time) was the latest super-hot designer. A fascinating glimpse into a key moment in fashion history.

Eccentric Glamour by Simon Doonan. As creative director of Barneys, Doonan knows a thing or two about fashion. Eccentric Glamour is in fact a hilarious, irreverent style guide, but Doonan thoughtfully includes a chapter especially for readers who think they might want to start their own fashion company. (By the way, do take special care to read the “Green Gypsy” profile in Chapter 1. Most of your potential clients will NOT want to wear a burlap tabard.)

Diana Vreeland: Bazaar Years by John Esten. Anyone who even thinks she might want to work in fashion needs to know who Diana Vreeland was and why she was so important. This book is a mere 79 pages long, but offers greater insight into her influence than Mrs. Vreeland’s autobiography (much of which was made-up) and has better pictures. Includes several of her best “Why Don’t You…?” lists from Harper’s Bazaar. I could do without the pictures of Diana in furs (or various recommendations involving the pelts of assorted creatures), but overall, the book is worth a glance.

Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas. Ms. Thomas, a fashion journalist, explores in detail how luxury fashion has changed – and in most cases not for the better. She recounts the birth of luxury-goods groups, the decline of couture, the widespread decline of quality…and even visits the ugly, awful worlds of counterfeiting and sweatshops. If you only read one book on the business end of fashion, make it this one. (The End of Fashion by Teri Agins and Let Them Eat Cake by Pamela N. Danziger are also worth reading, but Deluxe is by far the best of the three.)

The Rise and Fall of the House of Barneys by Joshua Levine. Cautionary tales lie within the pages of this book. If you are planning on selling your goods wholesale instead of running your own shop (online or offline), you MUST read it. Especially Chapter 8.

Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell. Cheap was published very recently, and thoroughly examines the modern American consumer’s obsession with cheap goods. Not about fashion per se, but potentially helpful when designing for a clientele with varying levels of income. (Actually, everyone should read this book. I’ll review it more thoroughly in a future entry.)

My personal fashion library is much more extensive than this, but these are the “must-reads.” I wouldn’t recommend them if I didn’t consider them crucial.

Advice for Would-Be Vegan Designers, Part 5 September 29, 2009

Today’s lesson is an easy one: all I will ask you to do is read this entry, Netflix a few films and TV shows, and watch them as they arrive. (It couldn’t hurt to take notes and do some sketches while watching, but you hopefully already know this.)

Let’s start with the most important flicks, shall we?

Required Viewing:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). You’ve probably seen it already, but watch it again. Hubert de Givenchy very famously made Audrey Hepburn’s party dresses for this film (among others), but PLEASE take note of Patricia Neal’s wardrobe, made by Pauline Trigere. Nobody ever notices Ms. Neal’s gorgeous Trigere ensembles, which is a crime.

Unzipped (1995). This was actually required viewing during my first term as a fashion major, and with good reason. The film is a documentary, following Isaac Mizrahi’s Autumn 1994 collection from concept to the day after the fashion show. Things you will learn while watching this film include: why women don’t wear furry pants, how fussy top models can be, and how nerve-wracking it all really is.

Funny Face (1957). My favorite movie. It’s a 1950s-cute musical providing a glimpse into the world of fashion magazines and haute couture, but the Givenchy clothes are the real draw. The fictional Quality magazine and its staff were inspired by the real-life staff of Harper’s Bazaar, who consulted on the film. Fictional Russian-accented art director Dovitch is a reference to Alexey Brodovitch, fictional photographer Dick Avery was based on Richard Avedon (who took most of the film’s photographs), and fictional editor Maggie Prescott is a very thinly disguised Diana Vreeland (who reportedly was not amused). Ditzy model Marion was even played by real-life model Dovima, who often worked with Avedon. I wish fashion was as exuberant today as it was in this film. (BTW, Maggie Prescott was played by Kay Thompson, author of the Eloise books. An Eloise TV-movie references the “Think Pink” number.) Or, go to the movies and see The September Issue, but I’m telling you now, Funny Face is ten times more fun.

Every Coco Chanel biopic ever made. Coco Avant Chanel is my favorite (and the most recent), but the TV-movie starring Shirley Maclaine does a much better job of showing her financial challenges. Every aspiring designer needs to understand the risks of launching one’s own label, ideally before spending thousands of dollars to do so.

Down With Love (2003). Cute, funny tribute to all those Rock Hudson-Doris Day mid-century pictures, and Renee Zellweger’s ensembles are a dream. Do have a good laugh at those silly “taco” wraps!

Qui êtes vous, Polly Maggoo? (1966). This French art-house masterpiece ostensibly centers on supermodel Polly Maggoo, who is followed by a television crew and engages in daydreams about a handsome prince, but it’s really a snarky satire of the fashion world at the height of the Youthquake. (Every designer needs to understand the Youthquake. Its effects are still visible today.) The title character was played by model Dorothy McGowan, who reportedly never acted or modeled again after the film’s release. For extra credit, try and guess which supporting character was inspired by Diana Vreeland!

Ugly Betty (2006-present). Every season, every episode. The show is set in a fashion-magazine office, not a design house, but there are many, many tidbits worth watching for. Big tip: no matter how thin you are or how stylish someone thinks you are, there will always be people who will treat you the way the nastiest characters treat Betty (if not worse). If you have a thick enough skin to handle putting yourself in Betty’s shoes, you’ll probably survive. (An alternate option is to watch The Devil Wears Prada, but on Ugly Betty the cattiness and fat-phobia are counterbalanced by campy humor. Use your own best judgment.)

Absolutely Fabulous (1992-1996; 2001-2005). Hilarious show about two substance-abusing, trend-obsessed fashion victims. Patsy, the ex-Bond Girl, always looks cool and put-together (unless she’s wasted), but Edina is laughably attired most of the time. (Challenge yourself to design an outfit that would actually flatter Edina – or her frumpy daughter Saffron. Trust me, it takes far more creativity and skill to design for a middle-aged, slightly overweight figure than it does to design for a skinny teenage model.)

Grey Gardens (1975). This documentary focuses upon Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’ aunt and first cousin…and their dilapidated estate. You need to see this film because every other fashionista has already seen it and you’ll be lost if you don’t. Trust me.

Clueless (1995). Just watch the damn movie if you haven’t already. This modern take on Jane Austen’s Emma is sometimes credited with changing teen fashion from grungy to cute. One of my favorites – and best of all, it stars Alicia Silverstone.

Legally Blonde (2001) and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde (2003). Proof that you can be fashionable AND shockingly intelligent. Not required viewing when I was in school, but it sure as hell should have been.

Recommended Viewing:

Blow-Up (1966). Michelangelo Antonioni directed this tense film about a sleazy fashion photographer’s unintentional involvement with a murder. Features appearances by Veruschka, Jane Birkin, and Vanessa Redgrave. Definitely not my favorite fashion film (the pacing can be maddeningly slow at times), but you can see some decent Carnaby Street duds if you watch closely enough.

Are You Being Served? (1972-1985). Do not get a job in retail without watching this show! I also recommend it to aspiring designers in the hopes that more of them will get over the “oh, let the merchandisers deal with it” mentality. Tacky point-of-sale displays, incorrectly-sewn diamante details, poor-quality material, etc. do bad, bad things for your brand’s sales figures and frustrate not only the people who buy them, but the people who sell them for a living. Please, please, please keep the end of the line (the consumer) in mind when designing.

Auntie Mame (1958). Hilarious, and stylish, film about a free-spirited woman who takes in her orphaned nephew. Mame’s costumes are a riot, and the film is shot far more beautifully than the 1974 version.  (Someday, when my brother settles down with a nice girl, I’m going to send them a copy of this film as a gag gift…and as a warning.)

The Women (1939). This clever film, shot almost entirely in black-and-white, features a fashion-show sequence in full color (costumes by Adrian). Screw the remake; rent this version.

How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and Betty Grable play a trio of gold-digging models. Features a decent fashion-show sequence – just remember, the world has changed, and few fashion shows are like that these days. I do not approve of gold-digging, but this one is worth watching just to see Marilyn’s performance and those fab mid-century clothes.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Please tell me you do not have to ask why you need to see this film.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001). Brilliantly screwed-up little film about a transgendered singer. The film’s costume designer also worked on The Crow. This is another of my favorites.

Next entry: reading lists for aspiring designers.

Spread the Word: Operation Beautiful September 23, 2009

At 28, I’m still not used to liking what I see in the mirror.

As a little girl, I hated my boring brown hair and thought my eyes were too gray.

I resented having to get my first bra at age 9.

In one year (seventh grade), I went from a size 6 to a 12 and from a B cup to a C cup. I also stopped smiling in most circumstances because I was fed up with my peers’ incessant comments on my crooked, gappy teeth (no orthodontist was willing to fix my teeth until I was 14). That was an extremely unpleasant year, and halfway through eighth grade, I was falling into some habits that are not easy to break.

I relapsed in college. I’d drag myself out of bed, go to class, drag myself back to my room, and be so exhausted I’d sleep for an hour before starting on my coursework. Walking up ONE flight of stairs, even while lugging equipment weighing roughly ten pounds total, should not exhaust anyone. Eventually, my heartbeat became frighteningly irregular.

At my lowest point, I ate ONE single low-sodium saltine cracker per day.

I was the thinnest I’d been since age 10, but every day I was struggling to keep from passing out. Wanting to be perfect was killing me, albeit slowly.

Finally, I reached my limit. One day, I tucked the scale into my messenger bag and slipped down to the maintenance building. I was an RA, so I knew the maintenance staff would be on a lunch break. The door was open (it was always open during the day), so I went inside, borrowed a sledgehammer, and took it to the alley behind the building.

I took the scale out of my bag, set it on the asphalt, hoisted the sledgehammer, and smashed it into a million little pieces.

I was gasping for breath. My entire body ached. Stabbing pains shot through my back, arms, and shoulders. I felt dizzy. Hot, angry tears stained my cheeks. But, in that moment, I felt better for the first time in months.

(Don’t worry. I cleaned up the mess and returned the sledgehammer before anyone noticed it was gone.)

Given my personal history, why did it take months for me to hear about Operation Beautiful?

The concept is simple, but powerful: write a positive note and anonymously post it somewhere other women will see it. (A quick glance through the blog’s archives indicates that some of the most popular spots for leaving notes include school restrooms, dorm bathrooms, scales at gyms, and even on packages of diet foods at the grocery store.) Testimonials on the site are overwhelmingly positive, and several are from eating-disorder patients.

If all it takes to make a difference is a sticky note and a pen, sign me up (don’t worry, I’ll recycle old notes when the adhesive wears off).

P.S. British designer Mark Fast used three – gasp! – somewhat-average-sized models in his show at London Fashion Week. (Note that UK sizes 12 and 14 are equivalent to US sizes 8 and 10.) One more reason why I love London…

Emma Watson: The Newest Face of Ethical Fashion September 18, 2009

I make no secret of my exasperation with certain celebrities who have no talent, no taste, and zero design skills, yet are inexplicably taken seriously as fashion designers when they decide being rich and famous isn’t enough. I’ve gone over the subject enough times that I really, really don’t feel like rehashing it all again (when I read about the unholy Lohan-Ungaro alliance in the New York Times recently, I struggled to keep from vomiting) so read the archives if you don’t already understand.

The Guardian reports that Harry Potter star Emma Watson is now launching her own line.  Am I mad? Not at all. Actually (even though I’m not about to forget she’s the face of fur-heavy label Burberry), I’d like to shake her hand.

Unlike some celebs I can think of, Emma isn’t doing the line for purely selfish reasons:

“I was excited by the idea of using fashion as a tool to alleviate poverty and knew it was something I could help make a difference with,” she said.

“I think young people like me are becoming increasingly aware of the humanitarian and environmental issues surrounding fast fashion and want to make good choices but there aren’t many options out there.”

A celebrity using her influence and popularity to encourage ethical dressing? I, for one, can get behind that.

Emma’s collection for People Tree (which is fair-trade, largely organic, and creates fair-wage jobs in Nepal, Bangladesh, and India) is expected to be released next February. (Heads-up to my fellow strict vegans: when buying from People Tree, watch out for wool, silk, and seashells. Fortunately, much of the line is organic cotton. And the Jessica dress is too cute.)

Footwear Smackdown: Leather vs. Synthetics September 16, 2009

This article originally appeared in the August 2007 online edition of now-defunct Herbivore Magazine. Thanks to Josh and Michelle for kindly granting their permission to re-publish it here.

If in-depth research concerning environmental effects of leather vs. synthetic materials interests you, consider contacting Olsen Haus. My research has been primarily performance-oriented, whereas Elizabeth Olsen’s has focused more on environmental impact.

Footwear Smackdown: Leather vs. Synthetics

I went vegetarian when I was in college. I majored in fashion design, so I was learning about textiles (including animal skins and their alternatives) while I was in search of animal-free shoes that a) looked good and b) wouldn’t fall apart.

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably conducted the same search at least once. Like me, you’ve probably heard every story in the book about vegan footwear. But, how to separate fact from fiction?

I have put in well over 100 hours of my own research on the subject – poring over boring textiles textbooks, ruthlessly attacking samples of faux leather and (pregan) real leather with everything from boiling water to razor blades, and subjecting one pair of vegan Doc Martens to five solid years of rough wear. Like most people who grew up wearing animal skins, I wasn’t sure it was even possible for the perfect faux leather (comfortable, durable, nice-looking, more Earth-friendly than animal skin) to exist. I must admit my findings, which I will now present without further ado, surprised me at first.

Round 1: Durability

Leather and suede can scratch and scuff with relative ease. They are also prone to splitting, cracking, and tearing (on a personal note, the leather interior in my old car was torn in about 10 places and badly cracked almost everywhere by the time it was traded in, despite preventive care). Leather and suede can also be damaged by mildew.

Good-quality faux leather does not share these problems (I have tested every variety I can find), and lasts as long as leather (sometimes longer). Caveat: Watch out for the cheap stuff; like cheap pantyhose, most of it is meant to fall apart so you’ll buy more in the long run.

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Round 2: “Breathability” and Waterproofing

Many leather fanatics claim synthetics do not breathe or aren’t waterproof. Not only are leather and suede not inherently water-resistant, they lose some to all of their “breathability” when waterproofed or given a patent finish (by the way, “patent leather” does not refer to shiny faux leather but to animal skin with a shiny patent finish).

Some of the better faux leathers (i.e. the ‘Vegetan Microfiber’ used by Vegetarian Shoes) are both waterproof and breathable (bonus: unlike the cheap vinyls of yesteryear, they are flexible enough to let the wearer move comfortably).

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Round 3: Cleaning and Care

Leather and suede generally require expensive cleaning performed by an expert dry cleaner. I have yet to find a faux leather that couldn’t be cleaned with a damp rag (if absolutely filthy, break out the Simple Green or Dr. Bronner’s), and some (i.e. Lorica) can even be machine-washed. (Side note: my uncle accidentally ran his PVC wallet through a hot washing machine cycle. Unlike its leather predecessor, it’s still in near-mint condition.)

Keeping leather items soft and supple generally requires periodic treatments with oils, creams, and polishes (skin needs moisture). Not only are many of these products totally not vegan (mink oil, eeew!), this is not necessarily a necessary step with faux skins (though Vegetarian Shoes does make nice vegan shoe polish if you like your boots to shine).

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Rounds 4-7: Environmental Effects and Consumption of Resources

We all know that raising a large farmed animal to slaughtering size uses a surprising amount of resources – animal feed, thousands of gallons of water, medications/hormones/other drugs, and all the petroleum used in getting the drugs and feed to the farm, getting the animals to the slaughterhouse, and then moving the skins to the tannery (see next point re: chemicals used in the leather trade). If more of the human population switched to synthetic materials rather than further subsidizing the meat and dairy industries (do I really need to remind anyone that a cow’s hide accounts for half of its post-mortem value?), fewer raw materials would be used in the long run.

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Leather requires more energy, much more space, and a great deal more labor than synthetic fabrics. For example, the staking process. Staking machines stretch and flex tanned leather – put simply, “chewing” the skin – to make it soft enough to wear. This is unnecessary with synthetics.

Even thick fake leather can be machine-sewn in most cases; many leather garments must be partially or entirely sewn by hand (I seem to recall reading about a mitered leather coat costing $9,000 because it required 120 hours of hand stitching; at the risk of stating the obvious it is more efficient to run a sewing machine and light a workroom for a few hours than to just light the workroom for 15 8-hour days).

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Leather must be treated with chemicals to keep it from rotting and, if desired, to give it certain finishes or colors. The skin goes through multiple cleanings, including removing the hair, which requires the use of alkaline chemicals or enzymes. Chrome tanning has been the norm for decades because it can be accomplished in mere hours (vegetable tanning takes several weeks; many tanneries won’t do it). The preserving chemicals, often called “mordants,” are better known for their association with the funeral industry. In fact, that “new leather” smell isn’t a leather smell at all. The distinctive odor is produced by the chemical reaction of the animal’s skin with formaldehyde and chromium salts (which is why the odor tends to fade over time). Chlorine use in materials like PVC (polyvinyl chloride) can be reduced by adding more hydrogen to the compounds. Synthetic fiber manufacturing accounts for only 1% of petroleum used (and only half of that is the actual raw material); 95% of the world’s petroleum is used for fuel (as previously noted, the leather industry directly and indirectly uses large quantities of petrochemicals). It’s likely that more chemicals are used to make one pair of leather shoes than would be used in one pair of synthetic shoes.

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

The aforementioned vegetable-tanned leather, out of favor for so long, has had a slight resurgence in popularity lately because of the belief that it is less harmful to the environment. However, those in attendance at the first-ever World Shoes Accessories ecoEthics Conference, held this February in Las Vegas, heard Bill Bartholomew, a representative for The Leather Group, admit that “eco-friendly” vegetable tanning is actually just as polluting as chrome tint! (Case in point: long before chrome tint existed, tanners on Florence, Italy’s Ponte Vecchio are said to have turned the Arno River into a stinky mess.)

Synthetics 1, “Vegetable Tanned” Leather 0.

Round 8: Biodegradability

Leather does not biodegrade (see previous point re: chemical use). Very old leather can crack, chip, and otherwise appear to start decomposing, which is not quite the same as rotting.

Some faux leathers are at least partly biodegradable. The faux leather that Blackspot (Adbusters Media Foundation’s indie shoe label) uses for its V1 sneaker and V2 boot is 70% biodegradable. Some faux leathers are cotton with a vinyl or polyurethane coating. Although not ideal, at least the cotton can still decompose.

There reportedly is a 100% biodegradable vegan leather in existence (which I understand Adbusters considered using), but vegan shoe manufacturers have not been quick to embrace this material because the only factory that currently makes it is located in Vietnam (factories in Southeast Asia are still notoriously hard to monitor for fair labor practices).

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Round 9: Effects upon Human Health

There has been some debate about PVC and polyurethane manufacturing causing an increased risk of cancer. Even if this is so, tannery employees and men living near tanneries still have a higher risk of testicular cancer than men working or living elsewhere.

Both leather and synthetics can cause allergic reactions in very sensitive people. Interestingly, some of said sufferers are allergic to both materials.

While synthetics are not necessarily better in this area, they are certainly no worse.

Synthetics 0, Leather 0.

Round 10: What the Hell Is This Stuff, Anyway?

As a vegan retailer, I hear this question almost every day. No, it’s not necessarily plastic (if you have been referring to faux leather with the “p” word, PLEASE stop). Faux leather is commonly made of a carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen compound. (The next time someone derisively refers to your shoes as “plastic”, you can now scoff, sneer, and truthfully inform them that they’re carbon-based…kind of like dumb humans. Ha!)

By contrast, leather is made from pretty much any living being that ever had skin. I have personally seen shoes and purses made from alligators, kangaroos, snakes, pigs, emus, horses, fish skin, fetal lamb…the list goes on. While most leather is cow or pig skin, some leather suppliers in China have stooped to skinning stray dogs to meet quotas. As last winter’s Sean John dog fur fiasco proved, labels can lie. Leather wearers like to think they know the species of the animal who died for their shoes, but unless they have had a DNA test performed on the skin, this is not necessarily the case.

Synthetics 0.5, Leather 0.

Bonus Round: Appearance

Even with careful wear and lots of conditioning, most old leather does eventually start to show its age (experience taught me long ago that even buttery designer leather shoes can only take so much). Dark leather (aka the ubiquitous black and brown) shows scuffing, scratching, and aging to a greater extent than light-colored leather.

While cheap fake leather can start to look worn out pretty fast (though on occasion the cheap stuff just might shock you by lasting a while), decent fakes look pretty much the same for years (I have found this to be especially true with PVC). Good faux leather so successfully mimicks animal skin that most people cannot distinguish it from “the real thing” without reading the label (in Italy’s street markets, Lorica and other fakes are routinely passed off as genuine leather), and now, in 2007, we can even – gasp! – CHOOSE between textures and finishes. Antiqued, patent, pebble, fake snake, basic matte, faux pony, mock croc – it’s all out there (anyone doubting this is welcome to tour my closet – by appointment, of course).

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Final Score:

Synthetics 9.5, Leather 0.

I did not learn any of this from the animal rights movement. I learned it in fashion school – a strange world where silk scarf painting was a required assignment and my Tailoring instructor gave me the weirdest look for using linen instead of wool to make a jacket.

Most of my information on the production and impact of faux leather came from class lectures and from one particular textbook, Fabric Reference. The book’s author, Mary Humphries, included a somewhat dismissive remark about animal rights activists in the introduction to the extensive fur chapter (feel your skin crawl here), so I am quite convinced she was in no way biased in favor of living beings when she included the good points of synthetics!

So You Still Want to Be a Designer? September 11, 2009

The New York Times has issued serious words of warning (courtesy of Teen Vogue and other experts) to those aspiring to work in the fashion industry. To put it bluntly, competition is more stiff than ever before, the rag trade only LOOKS glamorous, the industry is in trouble (which means competition will get much worse), and even very talented people can fail miserably. (When I graduated in 2003, the trade was competitive all right, but it wasn’t THIS bad.)

Still want to be a designer, or at least work in fashion? Damn, you’re brave, and I wish you the best of luck. Now get out there, work hard, and make me proud!

In other news, I haven’t been feeling well lately, and it doesn’t help that The Times also reports that Lindsay Lohan has been appointed “artistic advisor” at French label Ungaro, in spite of the fact that her idea of style is throwing on some leggings and some kind of dead animal. I’m trying very, very hard not to throw up right now.