Vegan suit?

Macha

Hi guys,

my boyfriend is looking for a vegan suit for a wedding. Most suits seem to have wool in them. Anyone know of a shop in Dublin that does vegan suits for men?

thanks

Taco

Mods, please move to Fashion if you like; Ithought I would get more knowledgeable answers here.

sweet-rasmus

I suppose it's a matter of reading the labels. The synthetic/cheaper material should be used for some suits. I'm sure it's just a matter of searching. You will never find a shop that provides clothing with no wool in Ireland

I'm not a suit wearer, so am inexperienced there, but I do go vegan shopping

Why not post also in fashion and just say 'suit without wool' rather than mentioning the old vegan word - puts people off!

I hope your search isn't too lengthly

Macha

thanks sweet-rasmus

Slaphead07

the cheaper the suit the less wool will be in it (every cloud has a silver lining eh?). Try Arnotts bargain basement. You're unlikely to find a suit completely free of wool or cotton but you might be able to minimise the content.

sweet-rasmus

I've never seen clothes in the Bargin Basement of Arnotts! Unless there is a hidden door somewhere... Anyhow...

Slaphead07

sweet-rasmus wrote: »

I've never seen clothes in the Bargin Basement of Arnotts! Unless there is a hidden door somewhere... Anyhow...

Over through the mens-wear on the right. I quickly add I've never bought a suit there, I'm not a fan of synthetic cloth in suits. Linen is where it's at people.

A "vegan" suit would, presumably, also avoid cotton in the stitching and traditional buttons? AFAIK milk products are used in the production of buttons.

Macha

Slaphead07 wrote: »

A "vegan" suit would, presumably, also avoid cotton in the stitching and traditional buttons? AFAIK milk products are used in the production of buttons.

Wow. Really? I never would have thought...Do you have an article or something about that?

What are non-traditional buttons? What a mine field..

sweet-rasmus

the buttons thing is new to me! i presume that it might apply to some buttons... yes a link would be good. and cotton? I'm not quite sure how that is anti-vegan... but I then again, it might be something in certain processing techniques.... Hmmm

I am newly educated in bargin basements at least!

rockbeer

Cotton??

Isn't cotton about as vegan as it gets? I don't think I ever met a vegan that didn't wear T-shirts.

Macha

rockbeer wrote: »

Cotton??

Isn't cotton about as vegan as it gets? I don't think I ever met a vegan that didn't wear T-shirts.

Well cotton is the world's most water- and pesticide-intensive crop. Even leaving aside the water issue, pesticides obviously kill animals and negatively impact on biodiversity.

Side question: do vegans generally buy organic to avoid products produced with pesticides or does the concern stop with the food you put into your mouth?

rockbeer

taconnol wrote: »

Well cotton is the world's most water- and pesticide-intensive crop. Even leaving aside the water issue, pesticides obviously kill animals and negatively impact on biodiversity.

Sure, there may be reasons why cotton - along with everything else on the planet - is ethically problematic. But does this make it non-vegan?

I didn't think "vegan" meant "totally ethically pure in every conceivable way", I just thought it meant not of animal origin.

sweet-rasmus

cotton and non-organic food are not a vegan issue. Of course there are people who buy all organic, in an effort to keep pesticides from the food they eat, but this is not within the definition of veganism.

As the vegan society states:
"Question: What is a vegan?

Answer: A vegan is someone who tries to live without exploiting animals, for the benefit of animals, people and the planet. Vegans eat a plant-based diet, with nothing coming from animals - no meat, milk, eggs or honey, for example. A vegan lifestyle also avoids leather, wool, silk and other animal products for clothing or any other purpose."

sweet-rasmus

taconnol wrote: »

Well cotton is the world's most water- and pesticide-intensive crop. Even leaving aside the water issue, pesticides obviously kill animals and negatively impact on biodiversity.

If you are worried about this then surely buying any synthetic clothing (or any manufactured product at all) you would know that the industry/chemical plants/warehouses are going to use excess feedstock, require huge amounts of energy (there goes greenhouse gases and deforestation etc.), emit large amounts of waste into the environment and so on and so fourth are ultimately worth worrying about?

Be careful you don't go too far because there is too much to consider.

Macha

sweet-rasmus wrote: »

If you are worried about this then surely buying any synthetic clothing (or any manufactured product at all) you would know that the industry/chemical plants/warehouses are going to use excess feedstock, require huge amounts of energy (there goes greenhouse gases and deforestation etc.), emit large amounts of waste into the environment and so on and so fourth are ultimately worth worrying about?

Be careful you don't go too far because there is too much to consider.

Oh sure, tell me about it. Once you start digging, you wish you'd never started! Many synthetic materials are plastics-based, ie coming from oil. But I know M&S do a few items of clothes made from recycled plastic bottles, just not the full suit.

It's practically impossible to know what the "best" product to buy is and then even that depends on your own personal ethics. For example, my OH is vegan so for him wool is a definite no-no, but for me I'm not so concerned with wool and would be more worried about the manufacture of non-biodegradable products like plastics.

Gah! It's a nightmare! I hate shopping. I wish there was some way to put all my preferences into a computer application & then it would churn out the best brand/item for me to buy.