Friday Follow-Up | ALL of the Jumpsuits & Can Leather be Ethical?

Ozma raw silk cypress playsuit* (some on sale) |
mine is a couple years old, I’m wearing a medium
*use my referral link to Garmentory for a $20 account credit*
Beklina alpaca turtleneck
Vince Blair sneakers

Wearing/Buying

I enjoyed not being freezing for a few days this week when we had weather in the 70’s.  Now we’re back to 40’s, so…

I bought the new Ace & Jig Skye onesie last week when it launched – it hasn’t arrived yet. Because I can’t seem to have enough jumpsuits…

I also ordered Everlane’s soft cotton wrap cardigan, grey, small, which is 100% cotton. I always love to find a tie-waist cardigan with pockets (not a very easy task actually), so I’m going to give it a whirl and see if I can recommend it.

Starting in January I implemented a $200/month budget for wardrobe expenses to try and avoid spending as much as I did last year. So far, so good. I do also get credit at Shopbop every month for displaying their widget and I still earn some credits at Everlane, so whatever I purchase at either of those places is not included in the $200.

In January I spent $160 at James Perse, so I had $40 carryover to spend at Ace & Jig, but the rest of the $108 excess I had to take out of my personal beauty/skincare/lunch/etc. budget of $100. It’s a good thing I don’t spend much on that anymore – and what I do have lasts me a long time.

Reading/Watching

Before we get to the heavy stuff, I watched all of Russian Doll on Netflix this week (it’s not hard to binge on) and thought it was very good; deeper than it appears, but also entertaining. And then I started Sex Education. I can’t resist anything with Gillian Anderson in it, and the show is better than I thought it would be. When you get past the annoying high school shit.

Now, the heavy stuff.

Is Leather Truly a By-Product of the Meat Industry?

Again, Alden covers pretty much everything in this article, and I’ve discussed this in various places before.  It’s worth a read, and heavy consideration if you’re trying to decide where you land on this issue.  I personally am trying not to buy any NEW leather,  preferring to buy secondhand leather bags and shoes if I need them.

I also don’t like the look or feel of most “vegan” leathers, which are are NOT environmentally friendly, and therefore also NOT animal-friendly in a more general besides their just not being animal skins.  Even Stella McCartney, pioneer of the sustainable, vegan fashion industry, acknowledges that “synthetic alternatives are not without concern” and they are working tirelessly to produce better alternatives.

BUT also, according to the brands EP&L (Environmental Profit & Loss) report,

Using recycled polyester instead of Brazilian calf leather, for example, creates 24 times less of an environmental impact

And

In Brazil, the cattle industry has been a big driver of deforestation and land conversion, which results in the loss of important ecosystem services. As a result, Brazilian calf leather has a high environmental impact in the EP&L of around €17 per kg compared to polyester which has an average EP&L impact of €1 per kg of material.

The EP&L has shown that the most damaging impact of polyester production is the extraction and processing of oil into yarn. However, the shedding and environmental impact of microfibers from synthetic materials has been significantly undervalued in LCA datasets that the fashion industry relies on.

That’s just one brand’s analysis, but it makes a simple case that the environmental impact of polyester production (not necessarily the impact of USING polyester – ie washing it) is LESS than the environmental impact of the cattle industry.

But more importantly, it ignores the point that there IS a cattle industry which is not going anywhere, so the impact is THERE already whether we like it or not.  How do we make sure that animals are being treated respectfully during all phases of their lives? And then that NOTHING is wasted once that life is over?

That is the reality we face today.  You may believe, as I do, that we don’t *need* to consume animal products on the scale we do today and have in the past, but you also may live with someone, as I do, who will never stop eating meat.  Our family’s answer is that we buy meat monthly from a farm co-op where cattle is grass-fed, chickens are pasture-raised, and pigs are forested.  We have the ability and the responsibility to support the farmers and ranchers who are doing it right, because not everyone can afford to, or will.

Anyway, it’s a complicated issue, I know, and one I’ve struggled with for a very long time.  As usual, all I expect from myself and others is to be informed and then make the best decision we can given that knowledge.  I will never judge anyone for doing the best they can, and I also hope not to be judged.

Further reading below…

AND There’s a Strong Ethical Case for wearing Leather and Fur – I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to come around to fur (even sheepskin), but with regard to leather, as I mentioned above, honoring an animal that will die to feed people anyway by using every single part of it is so important to me, and yes, ethical.  It is the ultimate in disrespect and waste to discard a skin or let it rot because it won’t be used.

And then, If There Are So Many Great Vegan Alternatives to Leather, Why don’t Ethical Brands Use Them?

No such thing as an ethical consumer – As I’ve mentioned before, in general, I don’t believe we can simply shop our way to a more sustainable fashion industry, but at the same time, I 1,000,000% think that those of us who CAN buy better have the responsibility to do so.  Ethical consumption is nuanced, definitely, but I will continue to do my best to be AS ethical a consumer as I can.  It won’t have the huge impact we think (or hope) it will, but it’s not nothing;  I still think better is better.

Plastic pollution in the ocean is coming mostly from tires, but also from our clothing

Doing

This week I have felt SO GOOD. I guess that second trimester energy burst is a real thing!! I’ve also added back in some coffee most mornings, which makes me feel like a human again. I need to work harder at eating “better” food though; I can’t seem to get in all the vegetables I think I should be eating during the days. I can’t stomach my usual smoothie with raw spinach anymore. I tried to eat salads with chickpeas or some other legume and avocado with some canned salmon for dinner, but EWWWW. I made myself eat it, but I didn’t enjoy it.

In the mornings I eat a piece of sprouted muesli toast with Nutzo (I buy mine for $14 at Costco – I am obsessed), then after Pure Barre I eat some grass-fed whole milk greek yogurt with berries and granola. After that, all bets are off. I eat whatever is available – frozen Amy’s pad thai, Annie’s vegan mac & cheese, carrots and hummus, oatmeal cookies…nary a vegetable in sight. My usual favorites are just not appealing AT ALL.

(I am not entirely vegan – I eat fish and grass-fed yogurt – but I try to eat mostly vegan, and whatever I bake or make at home I “veganize”)

Oh, before I forget, I’ve made these oatmeal cookies from Cookie + Kate twice in the last week and they’re SO GOOD. OMG. I did veganize them, and used only 3/4 cup of vegan dark chocolate chips in addition to 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts – I like a lot of stuff in my oatmeal cookies, and only a little chocolate. The recipe makes a lot of cookies – I gave half to friends the first time, and put some in the freezer this time. Have you ever frozen cookies before?? I haven’t, we’ll see how they are thawed out!

Anyway, I’m still practicing self-love LOL and trying not to be too hard on myself for not getting quite as many greens and cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, etc) in as I used to. I don’t think I eat too horribly overall, but for someone who couldn’t go a day without spinach before, I feel moderately guilty without it.

How was your week? Any exciting plans for the weekend?