How to Shop Animal Friendly: A Guide to Vegetarian Clothes and Accessories
Personally, I find that I have even more options when it comes to bags than shoes. A lot of brands that don’t make many vegetarian-friendly shoes make all vegetarian-friendly bags, such as Aldo (a personal fave), Steve Madden, and Nine West.
In addition, there are some amazing and affordable vegan bag lines that I drool over constantly. In descending order of price range, my top four stylish vegan bag lines are:
- Deux Lux (available online and at luxury department store outlets like Barney’s Co-Op and Saks Off Fifth)
- Melie Biaco (available in boutiques and online)
- Urban Expressions (available in boutiques and online, though you can’t shop on their website – check out their selection on ebags.com)
- Street Level (available online and in boutiques and Francesca’s Collections stores)
Some other great places to look for vegetarian handbags include:
- BCBGeneration
- Betsey Johnson
- Big Buddha
- Forever 21
- French Connection
- LuLu’s
- Marshall’s
- ModCloth
- ShoeDazzle
- TJ Maxx
- Topshop
- Urban Outfitters
Silk Alternatives
Dress: Ted Baker
Many people who understand that I don’t wear leather or fur are surprised when I tell them I don’t wear silk either. Most people don’t know that silkworms are often boiled alive to make the luxurious fabric. Now, there are other, more humane ways to harvest silk, but frustratingly, it is almost impossible to know what methods a particular brand or designer uses.
For that reason, I avoid buying silk itemsunless they’re from a brand I know has a commitment to being eco- and animal-friendly, like Stella McCartney. Luckily, at most college girls’ fave shopping destinations, like Forever 21, silk isn’t really present because the prices are low (although check the labels at H&M – I’ve found some silk pieces there), but when you’re looking for a special occasion dress, it can become an issue.
