Cruelty-Free Winter Coats: Solutions to a Vegan Dilemma

Cruelty-Free Winter Coats: Solutions to a Veganhave been bred to have more folds than originally
Dilemmaintended, they have constant problems with fly
While it is getting easier and easier, as the movementinfestations on their backends that can cause
towards cruelty-free dressing grows, to findinfection and often death.  So, without the aid of
beautiful, fashionable clothes (in fact, another imageanesthesia, the farmers cut off the skin on the
consultant (non-vegan) recently complimented me onsheep’s hind ends to smooth the area and
my stylish (vegan, of course) boots), finding anreduce the potential for “fly strike.”
attractive dress coat with some degree of warmth isWith all those folds in their skin you can also imagine
still lagging behind.  Yes, the gen-Y’s have nothe horrors that abound when they are sheared and
problem since they often love the trendy, morespeed is expected.  Eventually, they end up in the
casual looks.  But for gen-X and baby boomers, theslaughterhouse (that’s a long dreadful story
pickings are slim!about how they get there) as meat.  So, there you
Before I give you some suggestions, I know that togo, the wildly abridged explanation!
some people the idea that wearing wool is somethingIt is for these reasons and more that vegans, who
to be concerned about at all is a foreign concept. are committed to cruelty-free living, steer clear of
What’s so cruel about shearing sheep, you mightwool.
wonder?  Oh, dear, where do I begin…  First ofSo, for those of you looking for vegan options for a
all, a large majority of the wool we wear is merinopretty winter coat, check these out:
wool from Australia (they’ve done a great jobI just purchased this one.  Sure, black is not my best
marketing it as high quality).  Sadly, they are knownneutral but I thought I would be wrapping myself in a
for using a procedure on sheep known aspolar fleece blanket if I held out for brown!
“mulesing.”  Because merino wool sheep