Being a Cow's Best Friend - NYT 11/2/04

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New York Times

 

 

Being a Cow's Best Friend

 

November 2, 2004

By RUTH LA FERLA

 

 

 

Erica Kubersky met her first cow when she was 8, during a

visit to Israel. To hear her tell it, the experience was

defining. "We formed this connection when it started

sucking on my hand," Ms. Kubersky recalled. "I knew I could

never eat meat again."

 

 

Ms. Kubersky and her sister, Sarah, have parlayed their

distaste for meat and, for that matter, all goods derived

from animals, into a vigorous business selling vegan

products - that is, imitation leather shoes, bags and

motorcycle jackets - at MooShoes, their boutique in Lower

Manhattan. MooShoes, where the best sellers include

pointy-toed microfiber dress shoes ($85) and canvas bags,

is one in an expanding roster of shops catering to people

who, from motives of conscience or style, have banned

animal products from their diets and, often, their

wardrobes as well.

 

 

"I haven't given up wool or silk," said Jen Mazer, a

23-year-old New York Web site designer, "but leather is

where I draw the line." Until recently ferreting out

stylish vegan clothing and accessories has been a futile

exercise. But Ms. Mazer says she's impressed with her new

options. "It looks like more designers are realizing that

people have become more conscious about the kinds of

products they buy," she said.

 

 

Dozens of merchants now offer wares that are labeled

cruelty free. Pangea in Rockville, Md., sells vegan shoes,

bags, wallets and guitar straps; the Web site Vegan

Essentials offers hemp shoes and clothes. Vans now includes

vegan sneakers in its footwear line. And Stella McCartney,

long an activist for animal rights, has added shoes stamped

"suitable for vegetarians" to her collection. Her fabric

and Lucite pumps are available at Nordstrom.

 

 

Vegan products are finding takers not only among the

roughly six million Americans who call themselves

vegetarians, but also among shoppers attracted to prices

that are often 60 percent to 75 percent lower than leather.

A spike in demand prompted Earth Shoes to introduce some 15

vegan styles this year. "We are marketing to people who,

whether or not they are vegans themselves, would be happy

to have stylish vegan products," said Vern Aisner, the

company's director of marketing.

 

 

High-profile animal rights activists like the actress

Alicia Silverstone and the skateboarder Ed Templeton have

helped fuel the trend. "Today vegan products appeal to a

younger generation that is interested in culture and

fashion and has a sense of humor," said Josh Hooten, the

publisher of Herbivore, a national quarterly for

vegetarians.

 

 

All the more reason for the makers of vegan styles to buff

up their image. "A lot of people still assume we are

granola hippies or that we are overly political," said

Jeremy Crown, an owner of Otsu, a San Francisco store

selling vegan accessories. But there are no tie-dye

products and no harsh slogans on T-shirts. "Hopefully we

will change people's minds about what a vegan looks like,"

he said.

 

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/02/fashion/02FRON.html?ex=1100420523&ei=1&en=d72

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Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company