The ban on the angora goat wool by major high-street retailers following outrage over animal cruelty in its production highlights how the fashion industry is gradually embracing veganism

Knowing where our food comes from – the processes it’s been through, the whys and wherefores – before it lands on our plates, is big business right now. But with veganism firmly on the rise and many of us eager to hop aboard the plant-based train, is something quite crucial to this lifestyle being overlooked? Are we happy to make the switch when it comes to food, but willing to turn a blind eye when it comes to clothing?

The transition to being fully vegan needs to be thorough. Animal rights charity Peta’s recent investigation into the creation of fabric from angora goats in South Africa – which produces most of the world’s mohair – makes it clear how our current conscious consumer mantra must extend beyond the grocery list, into things such as clothing and other accessories made from mohair and wool.

Using hidden cameras on 12 South African farms, Peta captured the atrocious conditions that some goats live in, not to mention the brutality they endure during transportation and shearing, all in the name of creating mohair. Now, high street retailers from Zara and H&M to Topshop and Gap are making a stand: the evidence was so damning, they have pledged to ban the fabric from their products. However, the controversy has raised further questions about our shopping habits – and how such problems can often go unnoticed.

Thankfully, things are changing. “Consumers are recognising that fur, skin, wool and feathers are only ever ‘natural’ on the animals who were born with them,” says Peta spokesperson, Elisa Allen. “That’s why compassion, sustainability and innovation are shaping today’s fashion industry – and as the number of people adopting a vegan lifestyle skyrockets, fashion is following suit and stepping up its cruelty-free game.”

Because the supply chains for these brands are difficult to control, removing mohair was arguably the only logical step. But with so many eco-friendly alternatives to clothes made from animals now available, it does seem that the fashion paradigm is truly shifting.

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