Stay warm without being coldhearted

COLDHEARTED WITHOUT BEING STAY WARM BY DUSTIN RHODES

A guide to cruelty-free cold weather wear

Ia m a big fan of all the seasons, but by the end of summer— when I am ready to catch on fire from the heat and living off of vegan ice cream and watermelon—I cannot wait for cold weather. Except that I loathe being cold.

You’d think that now that we can buy at least five flavors of tofu at Target and faux beef and chicken at practically every grocery store in North America, it wouldn’t be hard to find warm coats and sweaters that aren’t oppressive to animals. For sure, it’s gotten better; but goose down and wool—the mainstays of fall and winter wear—are still ubiquitous. There are whole brands built around goose and duck feathers, the fur of sheep and other animals— which they did not willingly donate for anyone’s winter coat or sweater. I

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: THE LOW ON DOWN If you’re holding Action Line in your hands, you obviously care about animals. But some food and clothing items are steeped so deeply into our culture most people rarely pause to think about them. We buy things, to the detriment of animals, without a second thought.

I do not wish to traumatize anyone through gruesome descriptions of how feathers end up inside coats. However, the industry that supplies feathers to the world’s major manufacturers of down apparel is incredibly cruel, unregulated and vast. Much of the down is literally plucked from a live animal and some of those same birds are in the same supply chain as the foie gras industry, in which they are force-fed to produce an enlarged liver for human consumption. The animals are subjected to the cruelty for years, as down is more valuable from birds that are several years old. And that’s just a brief and G-Rated description of an industry that produces unimaginable suffering.

WHAT ABOUT "ETHICAL DOWN"? Every industry that profits from the suffering of animals, once the horrors are widely known, eventually becomes a public relations firm for making consumers feel OK about exploiting them. Whole Foods Market is a great example of luring caring consumers by creating a rating system over a decade ago relating to how animals were raised and killed before they unceremoniously land in their meat case. They still don’t sell any animal products that meet their own highest standards—but that’s beside the point.

The down industry (and wool and fur industries too) has worked to create convoluted standards for down farming, but it’s all smoke and mirrors. The industry is too big to regulate. And like animals that end up as food, you can’t regulate exploitation. No animal product will ever be sustainable, cruelty-free or any of the euphemistic terms used to lead us to believe otherwise.

WHY WOOL IS CRUEL Unsurprisingly, the wool industry is deceptive, too—making bogus claims about how wool is produced; namely that a sheep’s wool “needs” to be constantly trimmed and therefore wool is a “natural” fabric. A wild sheep produces just enough wool for all the seasons (a reminder that wild animals never need human management); it’s farmed sheep that are bred to produce too much. The wool industry also claims it’s just a byproduct of the meat industry, but the demand for wool is so great because of the fashion industry as well. (Also, no one should be eating sheep).

Wool also comes from rabbits and goats, often from far-off farms on the continent of Asia, where the cruelties are hidden from consumers in America. In some places, like India, farming animals for wool—like breeds of goats used in clothing—is causing the demise of native wildlife. In short, wool, regardless of the animal it comes from, is inherently cruel and should be avoided.

OK, BUT HOW DO I STAY WARM? Luckily, there are abundant replacements for wool and down that do an equally good, and often superior, job at keeping the body warm. Synthetic insulation is called different names by different brands, but many companies use insulation made from recycled products like plastics, keeping items out of landfills while greatly reducing the impact on our planet.

Alternatives to wool and down include cotton, cotton flannel, synthetic shearling, polyester fleece and many other animal-free fibers. Organic cotton, especially, is an incredibly versatile, breathable (but can still be insulating and warm in a heavier density) and earth-friendly textile that does not contribute to animal exploitation. And organic cotton, which eschews dangerous pesticides used in traditional cotton farming, is easier to find and more affordable than ever.

Below is a not-exhaustive list of places to look for cruelty-free fall and winter items. This list contains a mixture of price-points with the hope that it’s accessible to all, regardless of budget.

PATAGONIA This well-known brand is available online and in select stores. Patagonia produces very high-quality winter coats and sweaters, some of which are available without the use of animals. Their nano-puff jackets and polar fleece sweaters are animal-free, very long-lasting and high quality; most of it is fairly expensive. I personally have owned a nano-puff jacket for 10+ years, which gets worn almost daily in the fall and winter, and still looks practically new. It might last me until the bitter end—which makes it worth the expense, in my opinion. They also sell cold weather clothing for all genders made of organic cotton. patagonia.com

REI REI, an outdoor clothing retailer and online store, is an excellent place to look for synthetic down jackets. At the time of this writing, they carry 140 jackets for men and women from a variety of brands that are completely animal free. Use their search feature to find “synthetic down.” REI.com

SAVE THE DUCK If you are looking for something minimally elegant, and chic that goes beyond the standard outdoor-wear aesthetic, look no further than Save The Duck, an Italian-based company that completely eschews animal products and makes coats for men, women and children. The company produces a wide range of aesthetics—from fashion-forward faux fur to more standard puffer jackets. They have an online store and products are also available at select retailers in the U.S. savetheduckusa.com

UNIQLO This company is a Japanese mass-market retailer famous for its insulated under garments that are all synthetic called Heattech (made for men, women and children) that, as the company boasts, utilizes “Japanese technology.” I don’t know what Japanese technology is, but Heattech products are incredible and work exactly as described. And it’s incredibly affordable. Unfortunately, they sell down jackets too, but there are warm, affordable, synthetic jackets as well. uniqlo.com

STELLA MCCARTNEY This is a very expensive luxury brand. But if you are looking for something fashionable, ethical and eco-minded, Stella McCartney is hard to beat. McCartney also designs for men, women and children of all ages, including babies. stellamccartney.com

ETSY The online purveyor of hand-made, vintage and craft supplies might not be an obvious recommendation for winter wear, but hear me out: Several years ago, I discovered that there are vegan knitters—some who specialize in knitting custom hats using cotton yard and other animal-free, plant-based fibers. I have purchased two winter hats that were knitted for the exact size of my head in my favorite colors for extremely affordable prices. etsy.com

Development Director Dustin Rhodes is in charge of fundraising for Friends of Animals and is a contributing writer for Action Line. He resides in Asheville, North Carolina, a progressive animal-loving community in the Blue Ridge mountains.