Christmas is a special time for many people around the world. It’s a time to be with loved ones, whether they be family or friends. Acts of kindness and gift-giving is often a precious part of Christmas. For many, giving presents to the people we hold most dear can be a wonderful way to show our appreciation for them and that they’re in our thoughts.

Some of us will be thinking about clothing and accessories we’d like to give or receive for Christmas. And of course, cute clothes, bags, shoes, and vouchers for these can make for great gifts for all sorts of people!

In a Wear it Kind Christmas, thought goes into cruelty-free gifting that makes people feel good about the clothes they’re in. Choosing gifts with this in mind can mean a world of difference for animals who sadly suffer for fashion, and we’re here to make that simple for you!

Animals around the world can be made to suffer cruelty and even be killed for the sake of fashion, sentient animals that love, cry and think. Take mink one of the world’s most farmed fur-bearing species, who love to have fun, and enjoy swimming in the sunshine. Crocodiles who are wonderful mothers. Lambs who love to play together. Birds used for their down love to socialise, and bob their little heads up and down when they’re excited! 

Unfortunately, while Christmas is a special time for us, it’s not as fun for animals used or abused for fashion. Today, on Christmas, and every day, animals used in the fur industry are cramped in tiny cages. Crocodiles are kept in stressful conditions. Sheep face painful mutilations without adequate pain relief, and ducks and geese are often live-plucked of their feathers. All of these animals eventually lose their lives and some solely for fashion.

It’s for these reasons, and so many more, that it’s a wonderful, compassionate idea to Wear it Kind at Christmas. This means giving gifts that are kind to animals, wearing kind clothing ourselves, and choosing similarly kind clothes to put on our Christmas wish lists.

While there are lots of gorgeous gifts to give to those you love, there are some that are worth avoiding, too. When in doubt, we say go animal-free!

Why?

Heard of mulesing? It’s a horrifying practice the Australian wool industry continues to employ,  which approximately 70% of merino lambs in the country continue to endure. Mulesing is done to prevent a condition called flystrike, but with viable pain-free flystrike prevention alternatives available, mulesing can only be described as cruel.

It’s important to be aware that some real animal fur is mislabeled as faux! If you’re looking to totally avoid cruelty and killing of foxes, mink, raccoon dogs, rabbits, and other animals,  learn how to spot the difference between animal fur and faux fur, and check out our fur-free brands list.

Live plucking in the down industry sees sensitive birds cry out as their feathers are ripped from their delicate skin. As well as the pain and stress this causes, secondary injuries can occur as birds try to escape, and can be crushed by workers plucking them.

Another issue with down is that some ducks and geese who have their feathers turn up in our coats and jackets are killed in the cruel foie gras industry. In this industry, birds are confined to cages, and force-fed sickening amounts of food, to fatten up their livers which are turned into a supposed ‘delicacy’ food called foie gras. 

And lastly, exotic leather products from crocodiles, kangaroos and snakes, cause intense cruelty on so many levels. Learn more about exotic leather issues.

On this website, you’ll find a whole lot of helpful information to guide you, and your loved ones, through a Wear it Kind Christmas.

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Emma Hakansson