First of all, please don't get me wrong; I am the biggest Stella McCartney for Adidas' designs fan and I would buy them all if a) they were more affordable and b) they weren't as synthetic as they are, not that I don't use synthetics, I'm ashamed to admit it but I do, it's just that these are too much, and I can't picture my body exercising under such circumstances: no air for my body, sweat, sweat, sweat. No thanks.
A couple of days ago I was having a discussion with a very good friend of mine who is as fan as Stella's Adidas as I am with the exception that she doesn't care about synthetics or money matters. She mentioned how cool is Stella and her 100% cruelty free designs and her use of innovative alternatives and I was amazed at the hearing of such a statement. I don't get it.I respect Stella for what's she's doing, for being one of the first current fashion designer to support cruelty free fashion (Following the death of her mother in April 1998, Stella stepped up her fight against the maltreatment of animals, a cause Linda had always held dear) and alternative fabrics, she even turned down an offer to work for Gucci as such position required her to work with leather.
She teams up with PeTa and is all for Vegan fashion but, are we being serious?.
* Vegans do not use or consume animal products of any kind. The most popular reasons for becoming a vegan are ethical commitment or moral convictions, concerning animal rights, the environment, or human health [...].As I mentioned before, Stella's designs for Adidas are basically all made out of synthetic materials such NYLON, Polyester and Lycra, hidden under names such ClimaLite® or ClimaProof® and those products are not very eco-friendly really. They are not good for the environment, ain't not good for human health either... Isn't protecting animals from a cruelty treatment in opposite direction than supporting and using chemicals that affect all animals' (humans included) environment?.
- Nylon and Polyester are made from petrochemicals, whose production creates nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that's 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
- Lycra or Spandex is made from several chemicals that are known sensitizers. TDI (Toluene Diisocyanate) and MDI (Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate) are used as precursors of the polyurethane used to make spandex.
TDI is a toxic chemical which is proven to be carcinogenic. It is also a skin irritant and can cause severe dermatitis. MDI is toxic and known to be an allergic sensitizer.
Now you tell me if this eco-friendly fashion designer is such or not.
3 comments:
As some neighbors of ours used to say 20 years ago (and my mother still imitates them): "You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't" and "Six of one, half a dozen of the other." Yes, they used to say both, very often! I'll throw in "pick your poison," which might be even more apt. As long as we're on this earth and not regressing to subsistence farming (which was no fun unless you like starving to death), we'll be using resources and creating waste. That's just how it's going to be. And people can certainly choose their causes and you can only do what you can because no one is going to live a non-resource-using, waste-free life (not even on the primitive farm!). So I'm okay with the imperfections of people's efforts until they start getting in my face about my life and preaching to me about their causes. Then I feel highly tempted to berate them for the chemicals they use in their eco-products or the private planes that they use or the cars that they drive. So my opinion of Stella depends on how preachy she's being. I respect her efforts but if she starts getting up my ass about the hamburger I eat and shearling coat I wear, I'm ready to tear her to pieces. And I don't even care that Paul was always my favorite Beatle!
I am actually also a fan of stella because of her attitude. i am not vegan myself -vegetarian though- and i was impressed how she made such a statement in the fashion world. worse than the use of synthetics i think is when i saw she used cashmere for some of her last designs. HELLO?
but then i agree with wendy for some parts... since you cannot be 100 procent perfect in everything you do. i mean what is better: trying and sometimes failing or not trying at all? (the use of cashmere though is stupid when you claim to be vegan)
btw: that is why i like your blog. your posts are sometimes so 'political'. i like that.
Oh darn, I wrote such a long post and it didn't show up.
Well, sports clothes SHOULD be synthetic, because good synthetic material (climacool,...)in fact transports the sweat away from the body, which makes it much more comfortable to exercise in them. Cotton simply can't do that, it'll get sweatty all over and stick on your body much more.
And even if you want to use cotton it should be eco cotton, because if it's not the pesticides that are used are just as bad!
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