Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) revealed the winners of its 2023 Vegan Fashion Awards, celebrating brands and individuals making positive steps for animals.
French fashion label Isabel Marant earned recognition for pledging to stop using fur, angora, and exotic skins in their collections. Balenciaga stood out with a unique luxury coat made from Lunaform, a brand-new plant-based leather crafted by Gozen, offering a vegan and GMO-free material.
SMCP received an award for its decision to avoid using feathers, while Ganni was honored for its innovative 100% vegan handbag and bacterial cellulose jacket. Gucci’s Demetra Horsebit 1955 bag, made from exclusive vegan leather, secured an award too.
PETA praised these choices and innovations, signaling a shift towards a more ethical fashion era. They highlighted Ryan Gosling’s movie moment in Barbie wearing vegan cowboy boots by Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather, among other commendable efforts like MoEa’s vegetable leather sneakers and Bananatex’s biodegradable fabric.
However, PETA also called out LVMH for continuing to use exotic skins, emphasizing the distressing conditions and practices in the leather industry that harm animals. PETA’s awards aim to spotlight these issues, shedding light on animal cruelty in fashion and encouraging ethical choices.
