32 Indian Designers Pledge To Go Leather-Free

After being asked by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and Lakmé Fashion Week, 32 Indian fashion designers have made a leather-free pledge. Designers that won’t be using animal leather in their products include leading names like Gaurav Gupta, House of Masaba by Masaba Gupta, JADE by Monica & Karishma, pero by Aneeth Arora, Ranna Gill, Shyamal & Bhumika, Sonaakshi Raaj, Siddartha Tytler, Rina Dhaka, Vikram Phadnis, Rocky Star, Atsu Sekhose, Dev R Nil, Bloni by Akshat Bansal and many more.

Head of sustainability for Lakmé Fashion Week/RISE Worldwide, Darshana Gajare, said in a statement, “Sustainability in fashion is multifold; animal cruelty and the toxic effluents from tanneries are key issues that need to be addressed alongside others. It’s promising to see the responses from Indian fashion designers, it’s a crucial step in the right direction.”

While these 32 designers have made a collective statement against animal cruelty in the country, designers like Anita Dongre and Purvi Doshi have been leather-free for a while, supporting the movement against animal cruelty.

The shift from animal to vegan leather, however, is not just a national phenomenon but also a global one. Plant-based leather has been slowly catching on and is being preferred by many designers across the globe. In India, we see homegrown brands like Studio Beej, A Big Indian Story use materials like pineapple leather, cactus leather, cork as well as upcycled leather for leather accessories.

Want to find out more about cruelty-free leather? Here is all you need to know.

Image used for representational purposes only.