Veganism isn’t just about food. Vegans also reject animal-derived materials such as fur, wool, feathers, and silk for clothing. Yet, the vegan fashion industry lags behind the food industry. While the textile industry can currently replace animal materials with vegan alternatives without impacting sales and product aesthetics, this is not happening. Because the big textile firms, which determine what is produced where and by whom, are not yet receptive to veganism. Until the big fashion firms get serious about replacing animal leather and fur, and people really start to become more aware of the impact it has on an environmental and ethical level, vegan fashion is not really going to be a trend. There needs to be real alternatives to these brands because they are the biggest movers. In recent years, some luxury fashion brands, such as Gucci and Versace, have pledged not to use fur on their runway, and in 2013, U.S. brand Vaute Couture made history at New York Fashion Week by presenting a 100% vegan collection on the runways for the first time. Six years later, the first Vegan Fashion Week was held in Los Angeles under the slogan Cruelty-free is a new luxury. Plant-Based Streetwear by Plant Faced Clothing Plant Faced Clothing is a British company, whose garments adhere to the basic idea of supporting safe, humane, and ethical production techniques, as well as the use of eco-friendly, organic, or plant-based materials whenever possible. Its brand communication is geared towards generations such as centennials or millennials. The concept came about in 2015 when the brand’s founder Charlie McEvoy realised that there were no trendy, urban-style vegan clothing on the market. Seizing the opportunity and the current rise of the plant movement, she set up Plant Faced Clothing’s concept of cool, plant-based, cruelty-free clothing.
Based in the U.K. the brand is independently run, the brand’s ethos is deeply rooted in ethical manufacturing as it exclusively chooses to work with partners who respect the employees in their working environments. As a result, almost 100% of its apparel is produced by the people they employ and the environment we all enjoy. Nearly 100% of all its clothing is manufactured in Fairwear or WRAP-certified facilities. These are independent non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting safe, lawful, humane, and ethical manufacturing through certification and education. Vegan Friendly Water-Based Inks As a cruelty-free brand, Plant Faced Clothing’s main local supplier in London uses only vegan-friendly inks, specifically water-based and eco-friendly. Along with its other finishing supplier, both source the widest range of ethically sourced, Fairtrade, Fair Wear and GOTS certified garments in the UK.
Plant Faced Clothing has always put transparency at the forefront of its sustainability policy, and has published the names of its production manufacturers:
Continental Garments Ind. (Pvt.) Ltd, Bangladesh. Meghna, Bangladesh. Ahsan, Bangladesh. GSM, Bangladesh. Aus Bangla, Bangladesh. Dird, Bangladesh. Interstoff, Bangladesh. Loncame International, Ukraine. Nesteks, Turkey.
Believing that fashion should be a means for good, Plant Faced Clothing has sparked a cruelty-free movement in the fashion industry that supports businesses that actively engage with its supply chain and ensuring that is suppliers use responsible materals.