No more exotics for Selfridges...

[papertiger]

I like exotics, they're mostly made by master craftspeople and last a lifetime if looked after. I also like 'normal' leather.

What I HATE are plastics, PVC and other chemical-based materials that are legally entitled to be called 'vegan' 'eco', leather-inspired or pleather. They never fully decompose and if they start to degrade, they poison water-table and the earth killing wild animals, insects, plants and eventually humans.

Sustainability is just another word invented by marketing to flog this year's goods. If people want sustainable products just buy preloved or use what you have already.

Selfridges is just a shop. There are others.

 

[jellyv]

I'm really pleased and surprised that the convo is rolling along. There's been very vigorous policing of anti-fur/anti-leather topics in the past.

There's a world of bio and ethical difference, arguably at least, between conservationally managed production of skins and leather products vs. the harvesting of wild and endangered things. There's also a moral high horse that needs examining with some who rail against animal consumption but blithely avert their eyes from the sometimes awful ecological and social conditions in which their preferred goodies--vegetal, fake leather--are produced. (Not to stray afield too much, but vegans who don't notice servitude conditions furnishing their broccoli had better not lecture me about my locally raised pastured meats.)

 

[papertiger]

Not to mention Selfridges was bought with fast-fashion Primark's money. They are no one to lecture about fashion ethics.

 

[ladysarah]

Oookay, but did he put animals on this earth to be hunted into extinction to make purses? We have to learn the lessons learned from ivory and horns.

I don’t really want to get into this because I know this debate isn’t appreciated on this forum I also know it is nuanced but just on the statement that they must treat them well, you can look up how Hermes bound crocodiles have been treated - there are videos on the internet from a few years back.

I am totally on board with you. We do have to learn from the lessons of Ivory and horn. Exotics and fur are on their way out and soon will be viewed as gauche. It’s just the way the world is heading. Selfridges ( among many other major British shops) doesn’t sell fur and reptiles are the next logical step. It’s not just about cruelty of how the animal is treated but is also about it being an environmentally wasteful practice. I think everyone needs to research it and make their own decisions what they are comfortable with.

 

[PJW5813]

Not to mention Selfridges was bought with fast-fashion Primark's money. They are no one to lecture about fashion ethics.

I would not say that Selfridges is lecturing anyone about fashion ethics.
It has just made a decision not to allow certain products to be sold in its store(s).
Some might consider it is setting an example.
It will have a minimal effect on its turnover but has gained some short-term publicity.

 

[QuelleFromage]

We will not all agree on this, so I hope none of us try to bring others around to our own beliefs.
For me it is interesting and I will personally explore why exotics would be banned by this retailer versus other animal products.

 

[bellebellebelle19]

I think they've banned it because they're trying to up their reputation with green-washing. Of course, green-washing is better than not doing anything at all, but as others have said, there's massive hypocrisy in the fast fashion that's also sold at Selfridge's.

A note about vegan leather, not all of it is plastics and some of it is still better than regular leather: there's mushroom leather and pineapple leather; and Von Holzhausen claims their pleather is long-lasting and more sustainably produced than real leather.

I don't think there's any point in demonizing vegans or leather consumers - there's too many people on Earth and we're all having a terrible impact in some way. It's not about fighting over who's right or wrong; it's about educating ourselves and each individually trying to do our best to keep the world going in a way that works for us. So in that way, banning is good because it starts conversations!

Hope this didn't come off as too preachy, just wanted to put in my two cents.

 

[papertiger]

I think they've banned it because they're trying to up their reputation with green-washing. Of course, green-washing is better than not doing anything at all, but as others have said, there's massive hypocrisy in the fast fashion that's also sold at Selfridge's.

A note about vegan leather, not all of it is plastics and some of it is still better than regular leather: there's mushroom leather and pineapple leather; and Von Holzhausen claims their pleather is long-lasting and more sustainably produced than real leather.

I don't think there's any point in demonizing vegans or leather consumers - there's too many people on Earth and we're all having a terrible impact in some way. It's not about fighting over who's right or wrong; it's about educating ourselves and each individually trying to do our best to keep the world going in a way that works for us. So in that way, banning is good because it starts conversations!

Hope this didn't come off as too preachy, just wanted to put in my two cents.

Most of my vegan friends don't buy plastics or nylon either, the reason why PVC/plastic is marketed as 'Vegan' is because of the neg. connotations of the other words, people often (young) see the word 'vegan' and think it must be green, it's misleading IMO.

Piñatex (pineapple 'leather' ) sounds fantastic and was developed for just these reasons, bamboo is another sustainable source.

It's not a question of being for one and against another, it's being against cynical marketing ploys, employed by big business that mean nothing except demonising those of us that would actually like to have a choice.

 

[bellebellebelle19]

Most of my vegan friends don't buy plastics or nylon either, the reason why PVC/plastic is marketed as 'Vegan' is because of the neg. connotations of the other words, people often (young) see the word 'vegan' and think it must be green, it's misleading IMO.

Piñatex (pineapple 'leather' ) sounds fantastic and was developed for just these reasons, bamboo is another sustainable source.

It's not a question of being for one and against another, it's being against cynical marketing ploys, employed by big business that mean nothing except demonising those of us that would actually like to have a choice.

Yes, your points are what I was trying to get across!! I took some courses in college and I also do some marketing at work, and it's made me extremely critical as a consumer! I really do think it's all about education and choice!

 

[ladysarah]

I would not say that Selfridges is lecturing anyone about fashion ethics.
It has just made a decision not to allow certain products to be sold in its store(s).
Some might consider it is setting an example.
It will have a minimal effect on its turnover but has gained some short-term publicity.

So true. We are discussing it so definitely working as a way to get publicity.
I don’t buy anything made from reptiles so obviously I support the direction they are going. I don’t buy pvc either or ‘vegan ‘ leather - as PT stated they are not good environmental choices. The pollution they cause harm to us all