Living in Canada means I get the fun of dealing with 4-feet snow banks and -40C temperatures. Unfortunately, humans aren’t born with a layer of heated skin, so we have to find other ways to keep ourselves warm during winter. The most usual being winter clothes. Jackets, boots, gloves, hats, scarves, etc.
Also unfortunately, most of the go-to fabrics for winter clothing aren’t vegan friendly. Wool, down, fur – even silk! This makes it hard to find vegan-friendly winter clothes for new and veteran vegans alike.
Fortunately though, we’re living in the future!
This means with a little bit of research, you can find suitable winter clothes that will keep you nice and toasty – without compromising your ethics.
Thinsulate
This fabric is a synthetic, waterproof and durable cold weather textile. I’ve seen this stuff being used the most as an alternative to the down lining in winter jackets, but I bet with a bit of searching you could find it available for other clothing items, as well.
It also used to be much harder to find than it is nowadays, which is great news for vegans!
Cotton
Yes, this simple, well-known fabric has many uses – including being a great alternative to wool for winter!
While cotton isn’t water-proof, it does a great job of keeping you warm in the colder months. It’s also soft and breathable, which is a must when you’re layering ten fabrics together!
Another great thing about cotton? It’s super easy to blend it with other fabrics!
Looking for a clothing item that’s a mix of cotton and something else will give your innerds the best chance at staying warm and dry.
Polyester, Nylon and Acrylic
These materials are another synthetic alternative. While they’re some of the most widely-available fabrics, I’ll leave it up to you on whether or not you want to shoulder the environmental responsibility.
That said, keep in mind that buying a clothing item that contains one or more of these fabrics is still ethically better than one of the usual winter go-tos.
Bamboo
Not just for toilet paper – bamboo is another versatile material that’s breaking into the winter clothing market!
Bamboo clothes can be some of the softest, most comfortable pieces you’ll ever wear. It also has antifungal and odour resistant properties, which makes it a great option for doing activities such as shovelling snow.
One downside to bamboo is that it’s not the warmest option available. So you might want to skip wearing it on the coldest day of the year.
Wildflowers
Yes, that’s right! While this might be a harder alternative to find than some of the others I’ve mentioned, there are companies out there using wildflowers as an alternative stuffing option to down!
I don’t imagine you’d be able to find these clothing items at ‘normal’ retailers such as Old Navy, but they shouldn’t be too hard to find on a dedicated vegan clothing website.
I’ve also heard of a few companies using materials like coconut or soybean fiber, but like wildflowers, I don’t think those pieces are as widely available as some of the others I mentioned.
Some winter coats also have detachable fur lining on their hoods, so if you’re really in a pinch – and the rest of the materials used in the jacket are alright – you can always zip it off and donate it.
While there’s not too many widely available vegan materials for winter clothes, there’s definitely enough you should be able to find what you need to make it through.
And if you don’t… well you can have a 5 month house party!
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