Vivienne Westwood, Ted Baker, Stella McCartney and H&M among winners of Peta Fashion Awards
Meeting consumers’ demand for animal-free fashion, pleather, faux fur and other cruelty-free fabrics are more popular than ever. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) – with the help of judges Sadie Frost and Meg Mathews – is recognising the best cruelty-free contributions to the fashion world in the first-ever PETA-Approved Vegan Fashion Awards. “The awards mark the launch of PETA’s new logo, which designers and retailers can use to identify vegan clothes and accessories that they sell online or in stores,” announced PETA.
The winners include Vivienne Westwood for Most Stylish Handbag, Ted Baker for Most Stylish Men’s Bag, Stella McCartney for Most Stylish Women’s Shoes and H&M for Most Stylish Men’s Shoes.
Other retailers to take home prizes include Topshop, New Look, AllSaints and Burton. Bo Carter – known for her bright, playful designs and her refusal to use fur or leather – picked up the award for Most Talented New Designer.
“This year, we’ve teamed up with celebrity designers Sadie Frost and Meg Mathews to launch our first-ever PETA UK Fashion Awards to celebrate some of the best cruelty-free creations on the market. The winners show just how easy it is to get the look of leather, fur, wool, silk, down and exotic skins without harming a hair on an animal’s head,” said PETA in the official statement.
“My two greatest passions are fashion and helping animals, so I was thrilled when PETA asked me to help judge their fashion awards”, says Frost, the founder of popular fashion and lingerie line Frost French. “It’s phenomenal how many retailers and top designers are using pleather, micro-suede and faux cashmere in their collections, and the quality is amazing. The new fabrics are kinder not only to animals but also to the environment. So with ethical consumerism on the rise – and its increasing importance to young people – retailers need to respond by using compassionately produced materials if they don’t want to be left behind.”
