DAY 13

The Skeletons IN YOUR Closet

GOAL FOR THE DAY: Organize your closet and separate your vegan clothes from those made with animal products so you can gradually phase out wearing non-vegan items.

Well, I have some fantastic news for you, chickadees. Most vegans get a lot of the familiar queries like “But don’t you miss eating bacon?” and “How do you live without cheese?” from those who haven’t quite made the connection yet, but we seldom, if ever, get asked if we miss wearing wool, leather, silk, angora, down, reptile skins, or a host of other body parts of animals. And do you know why no one asks? Because everyone knows there’s so many darn tootin’ cool and functional alternatives these days; we’re not missing a thing! And that’s great for you, and the animals! Tossing those skins, furs, feathers, hair, and cocoons out of your closet, and slowly replacing them with comfortable, feel-good fabrics is going to be a breeze.

But first, let’s turn on the closet light (click!) and take a look at what some of our clothes, shoes, and accessories are made of, so we can see exactly what we’ve been schlepping around town, and why we’re leaving the animal bits and pieces all behind.

WOOL

Most folks seem to think sheering sheep is a calm and necessary process, akin to men shaving beards when they’ve grown too thick. Or simply a kind gesture from ranchers who are just doing sheep a big favor; after all, no one likes to be too hot in the summertime, right? I used to picture the wool-gathering process as an old man sitting on a bench in a big field shaving a cuddly sheep for an hour or so. Once finished with the shave, I imagined the sheep springing lightly into the air and going about his way to frolic with his friends in the field. Bounce, bounce, bounce. But I was wrong.

In Australia, the largest producer of wool in the world, ranchers breed merino sheep in such a way that they’ll have extremely wrinkled skin; after all, it’s all about the money, and the more skin they have, the more wool ranchers can get. Sadly, this overabundance of skin also creates folds, which attracts flies, particularly around their bottoms, producing maggots that eat them alive. To curtail the infestation, ranchers perform what’s called “mulesing.” It’s a crude process of cutting large areas of skin and flesh from around the animals’ anus, and for the girl sheep, their vulvas, too, all of which happens without any law requiring anesthesia, nor even a veterinarian. In response to the public outcry, Australia’s wool industry agreed to ban the practice in 2010, but they changed their mind, and it continues today.²

Making matters worse, most shearers aren’t paid by the hour, but rather by how many sheep they shave. This can be up to 200 sheep per day, giving them a measly two to three minutes to remove the hair from each animal.³ As you can imagine, the fast pace doesn’t bode well for the sheep. This is how people treat animals, far away, where we can’t see them. We see the price tag on the sweater, and the sale sign on the scarves, but what we don’t see is the price the animal had to pay to have those clothes wrapped beneath the Christmas tree. How much did it really cost to get those woolen clothes to hangers in our closet? It’s far too high a price for me. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t need wool to make us stylish or warm, and today, you’re putting wool aside. And when you count those sheep as you fall asleep, you can rest assured they’re grateful.

SILK

Have you ever watched a caterpillar slowly cross a leaf, or had the good fortune of one gently crawl across your hand? They’re so cute. The word caterpillar can be traced back to the 1500s where it likely arose as a combination of the Old French words for “cat” and “hairy.”⁴ The incredible transformation of these tiny “hairy cats” has provided fodder for poets, storytellers, and artists since first sight. Knowing that one of these little guys can build a cocoon and transform his soft and pudgy little body into a glorious butterfly, and then flutter away to the sky, makes the mind swirl with wonder. And mine certainly has, ever since I was a kid.

As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in Pacific Grove (PG), California, a coastal community that’s aptly know as “Butterfly Town, USA.” Beautiful monarch butterflies make a stop here each autumn as part of their three-thousand-mile journey from Canada to Mexico. It’s true; a delicate little butterfly can fly three thousand miles, and up to twenty-five miles per hour in speed. My mind drifts off to daydream just thinking about the grandeur of it all. The residents of Pacific Grove have welcomed the arrival of the bright orange and black butterflies with a big a parade since 1939. Butterfly signs, paintings, and photos adorn the city and there’s even an annual “Butterfly Ball.” PG sure loves Monarch butterflies, and they honor their visit in the most spectacular way.

Sadly, there’s no pomp and circumstance for caterpillars used for silk, who are killed before they even get a chance to spread their wings. Silk caterpillars are kept in large rooms where they’re fed mulberry leaves, increasing their weight by ten thousand times within just one month. Once they have enough energy, they spend three to four days spinning a cocoon with thread that can be over half a mile long.5 To ensure the lengthy thread isn’t damaged, most moths used for silk aren’t allowed to emerge on their own: they’re steamed or boiled alive while they’re still in their cocoon. The beautiful transformation they work so hard for is halted by death because someone, somewhere, wants a silk tie. Someone wants a silk dress. And another wants a silk scarf. All of which are woven with strings of sadness, from a life cut short out of tradition, rather than necessity. There are no parades for a silk moth.

LEATHER

For those of you who haven’t seen The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it’s based upon the real life story of a Wisconsin man named Ed Gein. Ed was a tanner by profession, amongst other things, who spent a great deal of time exhuming bodies in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. He made belts from female nipples. He used skin to craft leggings, upholstery, masks, and a wastebasket, too. He even made a lampshade using the skin from someone’s face. When I first read the long list of horrors, I had to take a moment just to sit and breathe. It’s jarring, to say the least.

It comes as no surprise that Ed Gein was diagnosed with schizophrenia: a severe mental illness in which someone cannot think or behave “normally.”⁶ After all, who would use someone’s skin as a garment, or for decorating their home, unless they had the severest of mental aberrations? I think you know where I’m going with this. That leather coat. That leather belt. Those leather shoes. All made with skin peeled from bodies, and yet in our twisted world, they’re described as “fine fashion,” while human skin–wearing Ed is described as a freak, and is sentenced to a mental institution for life. While I know most leather-wearing folks aren’t as crazy as Ed Gein, the irony of it all is certainly worth thinking about.

Most leather comes from third world countries where there are usually no laws to protect animals used for clothing. They are dehorned, castrated, and have their tails cut, all without any anesthesia. Once the animals can no longer give milk, or no longer have the strength to pull heavy carts, they are thrown onto truck beds with their legs bound, and smuggled thousands of miles into Bangladesh. Upon arrival at the slaughterhouses, their throats are slit while conscious, and they’re skinned—many while still alive.7 Two million animals meet this same, sad fate each and every year. Let’s face it: we may know where our shoes, jacket, wallet, or handbag was assembled, but when is the last time we were able to figure out where, or how, the animal was killed? Today, we’re separating skin from our clothes and accessories, for the animals, and for our own mental well-being.

ANGORA

About 90 percent of all angora comes from farms in China, and even if your clothing says “Made in USA” or elsewhere, there’s still no guarantee they didn’t get the bunny fur from China, and simply assemble the garment somewhere else. It would be nice if all sweaters, scarves, hats, and accessories that are made with angora came from hair that’s naturally shed when someone gently pets a bunny. But, sadly, nothing could be further from the truth. Chinese ranchers have been filmed ripping the fur off of their live bodies, because this method produces longer hairs, and in China there are no laws to stop them.8 Bunnies are often left naked and bloody until they do it again in a few months’ time. The practice is so horrific, that upon learning the truth about how bunnies are treated, Robert Redford removed all items made from angora from his clothing company’s website, joining over one hundred other companies who have done the same.⁹

As with the fate of so many other animals who are used and abused, it comes as no surprise that there’s no happy retirement home for bunnies who have outstayed their visit on the angora farm. As they age, the quantity of fur they produce diminishes, and they’re simply not worth their keep to those who profit from their fur. Their throats are slit, the ranchers move on to younger bunnies, and the cycle of abuse marches on. It’s a mad, mad world.

DOWN

The majority of down comes from China (again), where it’s legal to pluck the feathers off of live ducks and geese. Workers have been filmed flipping frightened birds on their back and locking them between their knees as they pluck their feathers out.¹⁰ It’s possible that the filling for your down coat, comforter, sleeping bag, or pillow came from a bird that was killed prior to plucking, but as you can imagine, it’s difficult to prove. Even if you could, the down would still likely be the by-product of equally abusive circumstances, such as the production of foie gras pâté, or duck meat. Birds need their down feathers for insulation; we don’t. There are far better options. Today, we’re leaving the feathers on the birds where they belong.

FUR

I think most of us are already familiar with the sadness that looms on a fur farm. With little legal protection, it’s pretty much an “anything goes” industry. Animals are often anally electrocuted, which basically means they’re killed from the inside out; after all, who wants to chance damaging the “goods” with blood. Other animals are caught via leghold traps; the few “lucky” ones chew off their own paws to escape.

What you may not know, however, is that “faux” fur is sometimes mislabeled, so as you’re out and about on your next shopping spree, you might want to not only avoid fur, but skip the fake fur, too. And if you already have a few faux fur items, check them out closely. There are many mislabeled fake fur items floating around. A Marc Jacobs coat was recently advertised as having “faux fur” trim, but it was actually made from “raccoon dog” fur.¹¹ These beautiful animals, who are in the same family as the domestic dog, live in horrible conditions and have been filmed being skinned alive, among other atrocities, and investigators have documented the use of fur from domestic dogs and cats, too.¹² If you have time—and plenty of tissues—you can check out the full report on the Care for the Wild website: www.CareForTheWild.com. Another Marc Jacobs coat had a tag that described the item as “faux fur,” but after taking it to the lab, investigators determined it was really rabbit fur. If you think it’s just labels that say “Made in China” that are false, you’d be wrong. Another jacket had a “Made in Italy” tag and once again, the real rabbit fur was mislabeled “faux fur.”¹³ In a separate investigation, clothing samples sent to a lab revealed Neiman Marcus boots that were labeled “faux fur, 55% polyester, 45% acrylic” turned out to be rabbit fur, and so was a “faux fur trimmed sweater” from Nordstrom Rack.¹⁴ I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. There’s a lot of false advertising out there, and I think most folks, vegan or not, would be pretty outraged to know they’re slipping into someone else’s skin every time they put on what they thought was a compassionate “faux fur” coat.

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

Gandhi was born prosperous, became a lawyer, and yet, despite his access to wealth, he had less than ten possessions to his name at death, having given everything else away. He wasn’t poor; he was generous and smart. As you’re sorting through your clothes, think about the added benefit of downsizing your haul. After all, less clothes means less clutter, and less clutter is a beautiful thing! It means you can pack your suitcase faster, find what you want to wear each day quicker, and by buying less, you’ll save some money, too. De-cluttering is easier said than done, I know; oh boy, do I know! But it’s a long-term goal I’m working towards, and something you might want to consider, too.

“You may have occasion to possess or use material things, but the secret of life lies in never missing them.” —GANDHI

Ready to make compassion your fashion? OK, mon petit chéri, let’s do it!

1. Create a cruelty-free closet.

Here’s a list of words that describe vegan materials. This should help guide you as you peruse your closet and drawers. You’ll find them listed on the tags of clothes, just inside the neck or the inside seam. If you’re looking at shoes, the tag should be on the inside of the tongue, or inside the back of the shoe on the heel.

VEGAN

Faux Leather

Microfiber

Cork

Cotton

Linen

Hemp

Polyester

Fleece

Acrylic

Denim

Twill

Microfiber

Viscose

Tencel

Rayon

Modal

Nylon

Denim

All Synthetic Materials

All Man-made Materials

And here are the items to avoid. Good riddance!

ANIMAL PRODUCTS

Wool

Down

Silk

Fur

Leather

Suede

Angora

Mohair

Pashmina

Alpaca

Shearling

Kangaroo Skin

Alligator, or any other reptile skin

Cashmere

2. Make your jewelry box cruelty-free.

PEARLS: We all know how bothersome it is to have a tiny grain of sand in our eye. Imagine having that sand bothering you for an entire year. That’s how pearls are formed. Pearl cultivators open up a mollusk’s shell and stick an irritant inside, to which the mollusk responds by coating it over and over until it becomes a pearl. Considering most mollusks have a heart that beats, eyes that see, as well as a central nervous system, vegans skip wearing real pearls. We let the scientists bicker over whether or not they feel pain, while we err on the side of caution. If you still want to wear pearl jewelry, you can easily find beautiful fake pearl accessories for a fraction of the price, and use all that money saved to buy a month’s worth of vegan cupcakes. Sounds like a good trade to me!

SHELLS: Massive shell gathering throughout the world has taken a great toll on the environment.15 We also don’t know if anyone was killed in the process of gathering them. Considering some shells, like the Hawaiian “Sunrise Shell,” can fetch thousands of dollars per shell, it’s safe to assume that some folks might not care too much about whether or not someone still considers a shell their home if selling shells is how they make their money.¹⁶ When it comes to jewelry, let’s leave the sea shells by the seashore.

BONE: Sure, some jewelry made from bones might actually be from roadkill, or maybe an animal who died of natural causes, but how can we really be sure, and who wants to wear someone’s bones, anyhow? That’s just creepy. Let’s put those kneecap necklaces and pinky toe earrings aside, shall we? Blah.

Now that you’ve sorted through your wardrobe and accessories, I’m going to take a wild guess that you’ve discovered that you actually still have plenty to wear that isn’t a product of animal suffering. There might be an old pair of comfy leather shoes you might miss for a bit, or a warm woolen coat that might be hard to part with, but chances are, there’s already a heck of a lot in your closet, dresser, and jewelry box that you can still wear, and feel good about.

3. OK! It’s time to decide what to do with your non-vegan items, and maybe score a few new ones. Just as with the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry food, it’s probably best to not be wasteful. You can either wear the items until they wear out, or donate them to friends, family members, or your local charity, church, or shelter. You could even hold a garage sale to earn a little extra money (I’m thinking cash for cupcakes again). Whatever you decide to do, I’m sure someone can make good use of them, and donating clothes and accessories makes you feel good, too. For now, just set them aside and think about the next steps; there’s no rush. We’re taking things nice and easy here.

And now for the fun part: picking out vegan clothes! Even if you don’t need to shop today, just go online and check out all of the cool clothes that are out there that are completely cruelty-free. From dress shoes that look like the finest of Italian leather, to fashionable peacoats for an autumn pub-crawl, vegan fashion has never been easier. I’ve compiled a long list in the resource section with all sorts of websites that have vegan garments, but even local stores have tons of cool vegan things to wear. H&M, Forever 21, and Target are just a few that have loads of inexpensive vegan accessories, shoes, and clothes. You can check out your local thrift shops, too. I’ve found lots of supercute vegan sweaters at Goodwill in great shape, some of which were brand new, with the original price tag on them. For higher-end attire, check out Brave GentleMan (bravegentleman.com) where they use vegan “future wool,” “future leather,” and “future suede” to make the most impressive fine menswear. Seriously, the quality of the clothes and shoes will knock your socks off. For higher-end women’s attire, check out the coat selection at Vaute Couture (vautecouture.com), and the shoes and boots at Mooshoes (mooshoes.com). If you think vegans just shop at those pleather-filled punk rock shops in the malls, you’re in for a big surprise. Vegan clothing has come a long way, baby!

If you’re interested in learning about regulations involving wildlife that’s used for jewelry, such as coral, sea turtles, and ivory, visit “Wildlife in the Jewelry Trade” on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services website: https://www.fws.gov/le/pdf/Wildlife-in-the-Jewelry-Trade.pdf

Need more? Check out the resources section at the end of this book. You’ll find everything you need, from vegan bowling shoes and ballet slippers to wallets and baseball gloves. Vegan everything for everyone!

Checklist

□ Did you separate your vegan clothes from your non-vegan clothing?

□ Did you separate your vegan jewelry from your non-vegan jewelry?

□ Are you still enjoying a nice variety of fresh produce every day?

□ Have you spent a little “mindful” time with an animal recently?

Thought FOR THE Day

“Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar.”

—BRADLEY MILLER