Fashion or ethics: why choose?

Today we know that fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world. The manufacturing locations of fast-fashion clothing remain unclear, and the working conditions in the garment factories are rather questionable. In addition, the materials used have a significant environmental impact, particularly in the field of leather goods: the leather industry is good neither for our animal friends, nor for the planet, nor for the workers in the tanneries.

For all these reasons, more and more of us want to turn to responsible fashion. But when you love fashion and getting dressed and shopping have always been a pleasure, well it can sometimes be a headache to find our happiness in ethical fashion without sacrificing our style.

Ecological awareness and fashion: are they compatible?

We sometimes end up asking ourselves a lot of questions and going through the labels before buying a piece: where was it made? in what material? Is it a polluting material? Were animals killed for it? This is in addition to the usual hesitations: do I really need it? Does my bank account really need it?

All these questions take away a bit of the " pleasure purchase " aspect. Because in my opinion, buying a beautiful piece of clothing or shoes should give us this little feeling of joy and excitement! You know, this satisfaction that we feel when we give ourselves a little gift, a piece that will make us feel good in our body and therefore good in our head!

I have personally observed that when we seek to consume ethically and we love fashion, we sometimes feel frustrated and especially torn between our tastes and our values. We have the impression of either sacrificing our style or sacrificing the planet.

For example, we find vegan shoes , we buy them, being happy to support a brand committed to ethical fashion, but we are not completely won over by the design and ultimately we do not wear them often. Or, we totally fall for a pair, we buy it and we love wearing it but we feel guilty because it is not very ethical in terms of composition or manufacturing. So is it better to feel guilty or to feel badly dressed? My answer: Neither! These two words are banned from the Zebra Vegan Shop vocabulary !

There is no reason to give up your style when you have an ecological conscience . What is important above all is to love what you buy and to wear it! Because buying an ethical fashion item is good , but if it stays at the back of the closet it remains a product that will have been made for nothing!

Different degrees of ecological commitment

We do not all have the same scale of criteria of importance in terms of responsible purchasing and each conviction is relevant.

Some feel more committed to made in France , others to the choice of organic, natural or recycled materials , others for animal welfare ... In short, between these different ecological movements: organic, zero waste, local consumption, vegan, hipster bobo, ultimately the common point between all of this is a desire to take a different path , to evolve, to feel that our purchases are on the same line as our values ​​or at least that these two lines almost meet. Because we never said that we had to be perfect. At Zebra we do not claim perfection, we put all the effort into efforts , by highlighting the positive steps of each person.

How to find happiness in ethical fashion without spending hours on it?

With Zebra Vegan Shop, my motivation is to promote beautiful and sustainable fashion , bringing together several of the commitments mentioned. To show that it is possible to treat yourself in ethical fashion . Animal welfare being a subject that is personally close to my heart, I choose brands that do not use materials of animal origin and are certified Vegan by PETA .

Basically, I investigate for you and I make a selection that includes vegan, ethical, cool and affordable fashion items at the same time. To choose them, I mainly work on impulse! I explain what my selection criteria are in a full article.

I will provide you with as much information as possible, and in a clear manner, on the compositions and manufacturing so that you have the cards in hand to consciously choose a product that will correspond to your tastes and values ​​and that you will enjoy wearing for a long time!

The goal is to make ethical fashion accessible so that you are never again tormented between ethics and aesthetics when shopping!