CRUELTY FREE FASHION

High-end fashion does not have to be cruel and part of the animal trade. It can be just as glamorous, elegant, thrilling and beautiful without any cruelty involved. Unfortunately many people believe fashion is more important than the life of animals, and to feed their needs many designers continue to capitalize on the animals' lives. Even vegetarians cannot contain themselves from luxury brands' leather handbags and shoes rage. Think before you buy, you don't want to kill animal for the sake of fashion. Fashion should be fun, not fatal!

Click here to know what an animal undergoes for your Jimmy Choo Shoes or Louis Vuitton Bags.


HOW TO BUY CRUELTY-FREE FASHION
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LEATHER - NO, NO
There are lots of high-quality substitutes for animal skin and many designers and luxury brands are using them in their collections.

Stella McCartney, the name synonymous to style and luxury, has proved that luxury does not mean being cruel. Stella McCartney is famous for her sharp tailoring, irreverence and sexy femininity. A strict vegetarian, her designs are fur and leather free. In addition to keeping leather and fur out of her collections, the luxury designer also has vegan perfumes and luxury organic cruelty-free range of skincare in her portfolio. Stella has also won 'Best Green Designer Award'.
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Click on following links to buy Stella McCartney Online:

- Stella McCartney Online Store

- Net-a-Porter

In India Stella McCartney, currently, has one store in Bangalore at UB City Mall.

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Marc Bouwer is a highly influential designer in the world of high fashion. His creations add phenomenal glamour and style to an array of red carpet events around the world. He decided to go ethical and stopped using any animal skins or products in his designs. He refrains from using fur, leather and wool in his collections.
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German Brand Puma makes high-quality non-leather athletic trainers.

Online store www.asos.com has a selection of non-leather shoes and handbags. In fact while making a search, you can filter your search by selecting non-leather in the category.

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Matt and Nat makes cruelty-free smart and stylish handbags and clutches that you would love in your wardrobe. They produce two lines a year, and each collection is filled with clean lines, bright colours and interesting details. Their designs are classy yet modern. You would not desire Balenciaga or Gucci once you see Matt and Nat cruelty-free handbags. List of celebrities that love Matt and Nat bags include Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Drew Barrymore and Teri Hatcher. More on Matt and Nat or click here to buy online.
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On Budget?

Charles and Keith, the Singapore's high-street shoe brand, has a wide range of stylish non-leather shoes, bags and belts. Their shoes are concoction of style, quality and sensuality for fashionable women at affordable prices. Charles and Keith's products are available in over 23 countries, predominantly in Asia and Middle East (they are not complete cruelty-free brand, but have a good non-leather variety).

Malcolm Frontier have great collection of stylish bags and accessories. Malcolm Fontier shows us that leather isn't the only option for durability and luxury when it comes to wallets, bags and toiletry cases. The unisex pieces are all made from PVC-free alternatives including coated canvas. Its a great brand especially for me, who are looking for cruelty-free stylish bags.

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Update 31 October 2009

Luxury Designer teams with target to create faux snakeskin bags. The bags will be available inn Target stores and onlin (to debut tomorrow).

How to check if the product contains leather?

Read on What's Wrong With Leather?


FUR is not fashion
Wearing animal fur on your body does not reflect chic, class or style, but cruelty. Buy faux fur. Many of the big designers in the fashion world have already started using faux-fur. Vivienne Westwood, Juicy Couture and Stella McCartney use cruelty-free fur in (some of) their collections.


Vegan BEAUTY
If you're vegetarian or love animals, stop putting lipsticks, mascara, moisturiser, perfume or other beauty products made from animal ingredients. Cosmetic brands that offer vegetarian and even vegan products include Clarins, Dr Hauschka, Origins, Suki, Urban Decay, Oriflame (for the girl on budget), Stella McCartney, Lush.

Recommended: A favourite with celebrities, Suki offers organic beauty products that are pure and gentle yet effective. Suki's Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser is my favourite product. It cleanses, exfoliates, and smells of fresh lemons. And as if that weren’t enough, it helps remove acne scars. Their Velvet Face Cream is also yummy. Clarins is my another favourite brand, their moisturisers suit even the most sensitive skin.


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