THE RISE IN SUSTAINABLE MENSWEAR

An Interview with PETA’s CHRISTINA SEWELL

For men interested in sustainable clothing, it has been difficult to find anything beyond Doc Martin boots and gym wear. Now, more and more companies and designers are creating vegan and sustainable clothing that can pass muster in an office or at the theater. The Perfect Gentleman’s Brian R. Sheridan spoke with Christina Sewell, fashion campaign coordinator for the often-controversial People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) about this new movement.

The Perfect Gentleman: Is there such a thing as “sustainable wool?”

Christina Sewell: If a friend has alpaca farm in their backyard that’s one thing but on a mass industry level, the short answer is always going to be ‘no’.

As with all livestock, the raising of sheep contributes to significantly to climate change. In New Zealand, methane emissions make up 90% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions most of that coming from sheep. So members of the New Zealand government proposed taxing sheep farmers for emissions. The plan did not pass but it goes to show the discussion that is going on around that issue.

There is also water pollution that is another concern. There is so much fecal matter that goes into the rivers and drinking water. Sheep dip is another concern, it is a chemical farmers use to rid the sheep of their parasites and it causes expensive problems because it pollutes the water and kills off fish. In the US, 2010, more than 9,000 pounds of insecticide have been applied to sheep. You can imagine where all of that is going.

Grazing sheep, like grazing cattle, is contributing to deforestation, topsoil loss, all these issues. With sheep being raised in such huge numbers in places like Australia, some part of the South America, and in the US, we have to start thinking about methane emissions and other issues. The UN said 51% of all methane emissions and greenhouse gases are coming from animal used for farming purposes.

TPG: So what began this movement towards sustainable clothing?

CS: When we had the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh back in 2013 (the deadliest garment-factory accident in history with 1,130 workers killed and 2,500 injured), people began waking up to what is going on behind the scenes in the clothing industry. It’s not just about how people are making our clothes but who is making the clothes, where are they coming from, and how many millions of animals are suffering for things like our shoes and suits for men. Ethical fashion is thinking about the forced labor and the environmental impact of our clothing, animal cruelty issues, all that is being taken into account. More people than ever before what to align themselves with being “eco” in what they are driving, what they are eating, but also what they are wearing.

TPG: Is it difficult to find sustainable clothing?

CS: You still have to look for it. If you are not in the vegan community, or the sustainable fashion community, it does take a little bit of digging but there are definitely options there.

TPG: Where are some places that people can buy high quality sustainable menswear?

CS: You mentioned Doc Martens and that used to be pretty much the only vegan leather shoe out there for men but now we are seeing an array of vegan leather shoes. They usually take the form of micro-fiber and polyurethane. Micro-fiber, I would say, is the best because it really simulates the structure of natural leather. It is widely used now by Brave Gentleman (bravegentleman.com) who also offers great vegan wool suits made from what they call “future wool.” (The company) is trying to get people to think about this moving toward the future and starting to embrace animal-free fabrics. They make 100% recyclable cotton-poly suits, which are fully lined with what’s called “future silk.” It is a very fine micro-fiber made from recycled plastic bottles.

PG: Don’t those “recycled” suits look terrible?

I was recently looking for a vegan suit for a celebrity who is doing something with us and went to TopMan in Los Angeles. It was very hard for me to tell the difference between the wool suits, the wool-blend suits, and the Tencell linen ones they sell. It is very similar feel like wool by using a specific kind of fiber. They do a great job of making them look great. You hear about suits that are poly-based looking kind of cheap or cotton suits looking like something you’d wear yachting, and not a suit you’d wear to the office, but I think it is changing.

TPG: Any other places offer high quality sustainable clothing?

CS: I saw that Crane Brothers in Australia (www.crane-brothers.com) offers a lot of vegan options including custom fitting. Frank & Oak in Toronto (www.frankandoak.com) have many tensile blends. Tensile is more environmentally friendly than wool since it is made from eucalyptus, sustainably grown on land that is unsuitable for food crops. These trees are also grown with minimal water using sustainable foresting methods. Some other companies I recommend include Glass House Shirtmakers (www.glasshouseshirtmakers.com), they make great button-downs, handkerchiefs, and scarves from tensile and hemp.

TPG: How about footwear?

CS: For shoes, there is the Moo Shoes website (www.mooshoes.com) which is a good one-stop shop for all vegan men’s shoes. Novacas (www.novacs.com), Spanish for “no cow,” makes higher-end vegan footwear that are 100% PVC free. Some people say that PVC is bad for the environment because it uses fossil fuels but what a lot of vegan designer today, in a effort to be a environmentally friendly as possible, are saying they won’t use PVC material because it has gotten such a bad rap over the past few years. They are using more micro-fibers and more eco-friendly recycled product-based polyurethane.

PG: You mentioned many small stories. Are larger retailers starting to take notice of sustainable clothing?

CS:: I can’t speak too much on the menswear because fashion is still very much “women driven.” But we see vegan purses from a company like Matt & Nat (www.mattandnat.com) being carried by Nordstrom stores. This is what is happening now. Huge corporations are taking more of what is happening in society and wanting to be more econ-conscious with their clothing options. A company like Zara just did a wonderful thing with us about the number of angora rabbits that are being live-plucked every year in China. We were able to make the supply chain connection with the Zara’s team, they donated a million dollars worth of their angora wool products to refugees in Syria. That’s amazing.

PG: Do you think vegan celebrities are having an influence?

CS: I think it can’t hurt. We have celebrities like Casey Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix and Jared Leto. It is becoming more of a thing now to flaunt that you are eco-conscious in “animal friendly” fashion. Of course, designers are smart to look to these huge influencers and note that the public will be following their lead.

PG: Celebrities can afford expensive clothes. What about people on a more limited budget? Can they find clothing at reasonable prices?

CS: You can find eco-blends in stores like H&M, Zara, and TopMan that offers options that are high quality and durable. They look dapper and wonderful. There are options that are good for any budget — you just have to look for it.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE AUGUST 2016 EDITON OF “THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN” MAGAZINE