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Post by Tiggerwoos on Apr 7, 2006 16:26:51 GMT
Thought it would be interesting to have a discussion about leather and fur.
Now, horrible as it is, and I myself of course would not wear anything made out of either, my last pair of boots coming from Vegetarian Shoes a couple of days ago, but was thinking to myself earlier today (careful Clare, you'll wear those braincells out doing that! ;D) why is it that fur is frowned on by the general public, yet they are perfectly happy to wear leather products, shoes, bags, purses, wallets etc.
In my books its just the same, but is it that because it's not cute and fluffy these people don't assoicate leather and suede goods as coming from an animal?
What does everyone else think?
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Post by quincy on Apr 7, 2006 16:47:50 GMT
maybe when people see fur, they automatically think ANIMAL. As for leather, most people know that it's made from animals, but I guess that since it's a bit more common (lots of shoes, belts and jackets are made from leather), that many people don't seem to care as much. I can't wait to get some non-leather shoes this summer!!!!!!
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Post by alisont on Apr 7, 2006 18:19:20 GMT
Yes its an interesting topic this one........as a veggie for 26 years i never went near fur but wore leather never really gave it much thought Now as a vegan ive 2 pairs of vegan boots/shoes but still about 15 pairs of leather footwear - the more i read/hear the worse i get as its getting harder to wear the leather versions, I was planning to wear out what ive got, and replace with vegan versions and not to have too many pairs as ive been such a big consumer in the past - not needed now all the ethics are changing since going vegan I often look at my footwear if wearing leather and start seeing pictures of dead cows - im planning on having a sort out over easter, then got to decide if i should send unwanted footwear to charity shop or to be recycled? Over summer im planning a trip to Brighton to stock up on footwear! Alison
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Post by bobbywomble on Apr 7, 2006 22:19:38 GMT
i fink if you own leather stuff you should use it for as long as possible someone made the ultimate sacrifice to make those items of clothing the least we could do is make good use of it however i think that the idea of the veggie shoes and stuff is a good idea
whatever they make it out of seems to be very hard wearing... i would be interested to see what actually is more hard wearing, leather or the veggie stuff i wouldnt think there would be much in it......
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Fauxmage
EV Friend
I eat food.
Posts: 186
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Post by Fauxmage on Apr 8, 2006 2:33:48 GMT
I gave up leather as a vegetarian, since I viewed it as a product of death, and didn't consider eggs and milk as products of death (I was only a kid) until I read Peter Singer.
I think most people view leather as a by-product of the meat industry, and it would be wasteful to throw it away when it is used in so many different areas of ordinary life, whereas fur is a luxury industry in which the animals are killed only to provide wealthy people with items that pander to their vanity. Leather items are so ubiquitous that they are taken for granted. But a wealthy person wearing a fur just screams "Look at me, I am so rich I can afford this fur", which does not impress the construction worker in his leather tool belt and boots any more than it impresses a vegan who shuns all animal products.
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Post by squirrel on Apr 8, 2006 13:28:16 GMT
why is it that fur is frowned on by the general public, yet they are perfectly happy to wear leather products, shoes, bags, purses, wallets etc. What does everyone else think? It's the same hypocrisy the general public employ when eating meat while loving their pets. Same as their anti-vivisection stance for cosmetics but perfectly acceptable (to them) for medicines Their double standards are absolutely maddening and something I find hard to understand. Genuinely confused I asked an omni friend how could she eat meat knowing that an animal has to die? Her reply: you don't think about it. The difference is, we do think about it and cannot accept it It's the old 'head in the sand' position
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Post by tabitha on Apr 8, 2006 19:04:15 GMT
When I first became vegan, I was appalled to find that suede came from unborn calves. As a vegetarian, I did wear leather. I had suede jackets and boots etc. I gave the suede away immediately to a friend, but had to keep the leather for a while for financial reasons, but the relief when I could finally look down at myself and think Yes!! cruelty free at last! (or as much as I humanly could), was amazing.
I think people just shut their eyes and ears.
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Post by quincy on Apr 9, 2006 0:32:25 GMT
I've never been a big fan of leather, wool or silk, but now that I'm a vegan, I'll have to wait a little while to "fully convert". this summer, I'm going to pick up a non-leather pair of sneakers and as I start making more money (which is tough being a college student, who's mainly dependant on part time jobs and student loans), I will hopefully SOON be rid of all my animal-derived articles of clothing and accessories.
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Post by bobbywomble on Apr 9, 2006 14:09:16 GMT
that terrible about the suede i never knew that im never buying suede again
i honestly had no idea how they made it .....
the thing with leather is it lasts so long, so if you already have leather goods it could be years until its ready to go to the tip (and it costsso much youd be mad to throw it away)
the womble is binning all his leather thongs (yes even the scarlet one)
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Post by tabitha on Apr 9, 2006 16:39:34 GMT
that terrible about the suede i never knew that im never buying suede again i honestly had no idea how they made it ..... the thing with leather is it lasts so long, so if you already have leather goods it could be years until its ready to go to the tip (and it costsso much youd be mad to throw it away) the womble is binning all his leather thongs (yes even the scarlet one) Noooooooooo! Not the scarlet one!!!.......and what will you be replacing it with
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Post by bobbywomble on Apr 9, 2006 23:51:50 GMT
a pvc one of cause.. duh!! the womble is going commando
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Post by tabitha on Apr 10, 2006 13:31:15 GMT
Too much info Womble. I was trying to eat at the time.
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Post by bobbywomble on Apr 11, 2006 0:24:21 GMT
hhmmm ???well i wont upload the pics then in that case (and i spent so long trying to get the correct angle with me digital camera : some people are so ungreatfull honestly ;Dhumph ;D
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Post by Gliondrach on Apr 11, 2006 21:49:36 GMT
Yes, it's as Fauxmage says: fur comes from animals deliberately killed for the fur but leather usually comes from animals that are killed for meat. The sale of the leather does increase the profit from each animal, though.
There's a photograph of my father holding me when I was a baby and it looks as if he's wearing crocodile shoes. The crocs will have been killed just for their skin.
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Post by chenli on Apr 19, 2006 21:11:11 GMT
I think part of it may be because you can directly link fur with the fur of an animal, because there's no difference in texture or look. Where as leather feels and looks different to that of cow's skin/hide/coat (wtv you wish to call it)...so the direct link isn't all there with some people. I think the same could be said for wool, as woolen clothing doesn't look like the sheeps fur/coat.
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Rainbow
Newbie
Fish Feel Pain, Fruit Doesn't!
Posts: 23
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Post by Rainbow on Apr 21, 2006 16:06:25 GMT
Presumably it's got a lot to do with speciesism too. The animals who are murdered for their skin (leather) are wrongly seen by most omnis and many veggies as simply by-products of the meat industry. Whereas the animals which are farmed and murdered for their coats provoke more simpathy as they aren't eaten - I don't think! Sadly many of them are animals that a lot of people are encouraged to believe are vermin.
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Post by chenli on Apr 21, 2006 17:30:02 GMT
Dogs and Cats are eaten in Asia.
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Post by xxsarahxx on Jan 17, 2008 18:41:57 GMT
hey i read that comment about suede coming from unborn calves and was sure it was wrong so i researched it and found that I was right, suede isn't made form unborn calves, it is the under layer skin from what would be leather. Instead it says: Slink is a very rare leather and it is made from the skin of an unborn calf and it is prized to make the softest gloves. It is extremely expensive since its only source are cows that quite literally die pregnant. Link - www.leather-directory.com/
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Post by maisiepaisie on Jan 19, 2008 14:44:44 GMT
There is a type of suede that comes from unborn calves. Its much softer than normal suede. I can't remember the name of it though, sorry.
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Post by xxsarahxx on Jan 19, 2008 23:06:21 GMT
i posted the comment above, its called 'slink'
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