Ok, but where has the sun gone? I’ve got one month left on furlough before I start a new job (eeeeekk!!!) and I planned on working on my tan and sipping on G&T’s while I could! Thanks universe. If the sun does return, I plan on making the most of it and wearing all my favourite summer outfits while I can haha. I’m mentally planning the outfits already and picking out accessories. 

When I was looking through the trend reports on summer ’20 accessories for inspiration, I was disheartened to see how much leather was being featured. I think I just live in this online vegan bubble and sometimes forget that cruelty in fashion is still so normalized, it’s still so hard to see. 

Maybe people are still stuck in this myth that leather = luxury, when it really doesn’t. Leather represents animal’s pain and suffering, toxic chemicals, and a disregard for human health. It’s incredibly bad for our planet, from the amount of water it takes to raise a cow for slaughter, to the chromium sulfate used in the tanning process. Read more about the environmental damage caused by leather tanning in this report here. 

And people often don’t make the connection between the accessory in their hand and the animal that died for it, there should be a photo of the dead animal on the labels (like with cigarettes) so people can see the impact of their choices. 

I checked out the top summer 2020 accessories trends (according to Who What Wear and The Trend Spotter) and found you guys veganized alternatives of the best of them! It only took a short search online and checking out the websites of the alternatives to make sure they were ethical and sustainable. Get ready for the summer-comeback with these cruelty-free accessory wins!

It-girl bags

Swap Prada’s crocodile and cow’s leather for Collection & Co’s vegan croc embossed

I feel like the it-girl bag is here to stay, but it definitely makes a great summery addition to any outfit. From baguettes to ‘hobo’ styles, there are so many great alternatives to leather, like the Aries faux croc bag from Collection & Co. No need to ever buy the real thing, crocodiles are literally some of the oldest animals on Earth, why do humans think they have the right to farm them to kill them or hunt them in the wild?

Birkenstocks 

Swap Birkenstock’s cow’s leather for Birkenstock’s Birko-Flor vegan alternative

This one is definitely a no-brainer! Birkenstock now sell a vegan range and these Toulon ESD’s are even £5 cheaper than the classic Amazon style made with cow’s leather. Come on people, it couldn’t be any easier to switch your style to animal-free!

Leather bucket hats

Swap Loewe’s cow leather for Lack of Color’s ethical vegan alternative

Ok this one is the Marmite of fashion; you either love bucket hats or you hate them. I personally wouldn’t wear these, but they can look ok on some people haha. If you feel drawn to buy a leather bucket hat, you can easily opt for a vegan alternative without sacrificing the style, like this one from Lack of Color.

Chunky boots

Swap Moncler’s cow leather for Vegetarian Shoes faux leather

This might seem an odd one for summer but remember that British summers are often a mixed bag – as we’ve seen over the last couple weeks! These Chelsea boots are perfect for stomping in puddles and still looking fabulous. Vegetarian Shoes always come through with the high-quality vegan boots – couldn’t be simpler.

Wide belts

Swap Valentino’s cow leather for Matt & Nat’s vegan alternative

Oh you thought we left wide belts back in 2003? No hunny no they’re back again (apparently) and you can get your hands on vegan leather alternatives everywhere. This one from Matt & Nat is perfect, and not too wide that you can’t make it work with other outfits. 

Square toe heeled sandals

Swap Neous’ cow leather for Collection & Co’s cruelty-free leather

I wasn’t a fan of the square toed heel at first but they’re actually starting to grow on me, especially the strappy Chora heel from Collection & Co. Perfect for a summer evening date night for a romantic yet bold twist on the classic sandal. 

So now you can see how easy it is, it’s time to ditch the leather and exotic animal skins this summer and take your accessories from cruelty to compassion! I’m going to start tagging #SkinFreeSummer on my Instagram posts where I’m wearing vegan leather so you can spot the skin-free accessories and clothes. Follow the hashtag to see when these posts pop up!