The vegan world is going mad for the rucksacks that our steadily emerging on the market, not only are these new designs spacious and practical (just like all rucksacks) but many companies are experimenting with different forms of vegan materials and non- animal leather.
Wilby themselves have a few rucksacks on the market and they are made from cork leather, cork is sustainable because it is peeled from the trees and regenerates without harming the trees structure. Take a look at our Primrose Hill set rucksacks modelled by the amazing Anais Gallagher.
It’s now common knowledge that avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth – but what’s less common is the idea that this can be achieved not only by controlling what we put in our bodies, but also what we put on them.
Ten years ago, being a vegan or vegetarian was much harder than it is now – there were less dishes on offer in restaurants, and friends and family knew fewer recipes to offer as alternatives to meat and two veg. But pressure from the inside out has lead the market to expand; now, vegetarian or vegan options are often more exciting, and better value for money than their meaty alternatives.
And the same is happening in fashion – remember the scandal when ASOS’ supposedly ‘faux’ fur jackets turned out to be real? People are no longer solely advocating faux animal products because of animal cruelty but are adding ehttp://www.wilbyclutch.comnvironmental impact onto the list. At Wilby bags, we’re responding to, and pushing forward the care for our planet.
But unlike the vegans of many years ago, going vegan in your accessories no longer means a martyrdom of pleasure. In fact, it’s probably going to make life a lot easier. Take your standard weekend bag for example. Then add in a raining English weekend. What do you get? Cracked, salt-lined leather that immediately looks like it’s worth £2 of the £250 you spent on it. Meanwhile, your friend with her vegan bag sails on by, saving the planet and doing it with style
By Antonia Cundy
The Guardian has stated that veganism has officially left the fringes and entered the mainstream. You only have to look at the expanding food market and the fact that veganism in the UK has soared to 3.5 million to see that it is not a fleeting movement.
There is the notion that veganism is restricted to food and many vegans, flexitarians/others shy away from the fashion industry and its flaws.
Sustainable and vegan bags, shoes and fashion can help make an negative impact on the leather industry and a positive impact on the environment. Cow hides are, of course, not just used for food and 70% of it’s production is used for shoe soles as well as jackets, car seats, bags, sofas and many more.
The sheer amount of waste that fast fashion creates can be seen in landfills globally and contributes to ocean pollution. We hope that the next vegan agenda will be to explicitly address what we wear on a day-to-day basis.
While figures were announced this week that the milk industry lost approximately 240 million in sales for the previous year, the rise of vegan alternatives for meat, dairy and other products continue to grow.
Tesco’s have stated that the demand for vegan alternatives to ready meals and snacks has soared to over 40%. People who identify themselves as vegan in the UK have soared to 500,000.
This is all exacerbated by the rise in the celebrity vegan, from Brad Pitt to Miley Cyrus taking up a meat free diet and being open about the cause on social media.
We are so honoured to have won the Best Green category at the Independent handbag awards in New York. It was the ever popular Bailey Black Saddle that won it and thanks must go out to Lucy Housman, Sophie Bailey, Eeva Rinne, Lucy Orr Ewing, Emily Eden and Jordan Delarosa. A special mention also to Ali Abbas a Wilby website designer who tragically passed away last year and to Martin Housman who has obtained a serious injury and has been a massive supporter of Wilby.
We are glad the efforts of the Bailey collection have been noticed as not only are they vegan but they are sustainable; they are made from new technology cork whereby the cork bark is peeled from the tree and subsequently regenerates. All bags in this collection are hand made in the UK.
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Wilby has been nominated for the Independent Bag Awards under the Basic Adhesives Green Bag Award. We would like to say a big thank you to Emily and Marina at the Independent Bag Awards for all of their help and support. It is an honour to be recognised for our green ethics and design and the Bailey Saddle bag (the bag that is nominated) is made from sustainable cork and eco – friendly glue, it is also made in the UK and has been worn by well known vegan celebrities such as Alicia Silverstone.
http://thehandbagawards.com/year/2017/finalists
We are also in the running for the Instyle award where you can vote for the Bailey Saddle bag below:
http://www.instyle.com/fashion/accessories/bags/independent-handbag-designer-awards