Ethical Fashion: Why Are We So Confused?

This post is the final installment of a series running throughout New York's Fashion Week (Sept. 9-16, 2010) to highlight the best and the worst of cruelty and compassion toward animals in the fashion industry.

Man, oh man, do I hate being wrong. I said I didn't expect to see much fur at this week's fashion week, since the clothes are for Spring/Summer collections. But fur did indeed fly on the runway this week. Some designers went so far as to conduct bag searches as a security precaution against red paint. The worst offender, Dennis Basso, showed way too much skin on the runway, using the hides of chinchillas, Russian sables, pythons and alligators.

On Tuesday, at the same time Basso models sweated in fur, Nolcha, the showcase for independent designers, held a special exhibition dedicated to ethical fashion. But all that was really showcased at this event was exactly how confused the fashion industry is about what's ethical and what isn't.

Nolcha featured vegetarian wedding dresses from the House of Tammam, vegan bags by Gunas, organic cotton clothes by Nicole Bridger, upcycled couture by Vicerra. But Evolve45 brought vegetable-tanned leather bags, Bessi and Company featured leather shoes, and M. Brûlée hawked leather accessories. And then there was Adha Zelma, flaunting jewelry made of python ribs and animal tusks.

Between labels like vegan, humanely raised, not tested on animals, PVC-free, sweat-shop free, green, natural, organic, locally produced, recycled, and upchucked, it's no wonder the socially conscious consumer is confused.

Sometimes eco-friendly jargon really works against us. Designers continue to get away with using fur in their collections thanks to the "Fur is Green" campaign that peddles fur as an ecologically sound fabric.

And you know we're in trouble when the guests came outfitted in feathers to the Wildlife Conservation Society black-tie gala. The WCS served their guests chicken. To top it all off, the theme of this years event was "Flights of Fancy," aimed to draw attention to the conservation of our planet's birds.

If you care about animal conservation, don't buy what the animal skin industries are selling. Wearing animals — in the form of leather, feathers, or fur — isn't sustainable or humane. Most animals used for fur or leather are raised in horrible factory farming conditions, suffering immensely for a fashion statement.

Thankfully, there are many fashionable ways to make a difference to animals while treading lightly on the earth. From vegan ultra-suede to sustainably harvested cork to organic cotton, there are truly eco-friendly, cruelty-free fashion choices out there. Fashion Week comes to an end today, but I hope you'll keep hunting for clothing that is kind to the planet and the animals we share it with.

Photo Credit: littlesister