Updated August 14, 2019 | British fashion retailer New Look has added nearly 500 vegan shoes and bags to its collection.
The new vegan line — which is registered and clearly labeled with the Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark — is a first for New Look. The collection includes vegan leather boots, heels, faux croc loafers, trainers, cruelty-free leather satchels, and faux snake panel shoulder bags.
The retail chain also announced it will reduce its use of animal-based materials and work to improve transparency in its supply chain. In a recent Tweet, it revealed that it hopes to certify all of its non-leather footwear and bag collections as vegan by 2021. In the future, it will consider ditching leather completely.
“The Vegan Society’s expert team have ensured that New Look’s registered products are free of animal-derived components, including any that might be found in fabrics, threads, glues, dyes, and treatments,” The Vegan Society said in a statement.
“They have also taken steps to ensure that the manufacture of the product and its materials are free of animal testing. The products that have been registered will be clearly labeled with the Vegan Trademark, making them easily identifiable,” the Society continued.
It stated that New Look’s latest efforts allow customers to “shop with the assurance of our Vegan Trademark.”
The Society added, “New Look will continue to register many more of their products with our Vegan Trademark, keeping you stylish for many seasons to come.”
New Look and Veganism
While the new Vegan Society-certified products mark New Look’s first vegan line, they aren’t its first foray into vegan fashion. The retailer launched vegan-themed socks earlier this year. The socks are made from a soft cotton blend and feature cartoon avocados, pandas, and carrots along with slogans like “powered by plants” and “save our planet, it’s the only planet with prosecco.”
New Look has also made strides toward better animal welfare. The retailer committed to a ban on the sale of mohair, a silk-like fabric made from the hair of Angora goats. New Look — along with nearly 100 other retailers — made a stand against the material after animal rights group PETA released undercover footage from 12 Angora goat farms, exposing animal cruelty within the industry. Boohoo, Missguided, Primark, River Island, Marks & Spencer, PrettyLittleThing, and Forever 21 also pledged to stop using mohair.
New Look’s new vegan products can be purchased online and will be available at more than 900 New Look locations from September.
