We’re probably all aware of the use of exploitative sweat shops in the fashion industry, and I do my best to avoid brands where I suspect their use. And now, having become increasingly aware of the hidden use of animal by-products in some of my clothes, I’ve looked for brands where I can be sure about the origins of a garment’s constituent parts as well. And this ethical clothing brand is one such find. But, do they make the kind of clothes I want to wear? And because they align with my lifestyle values, does that mean they’re going to be ridiculously expensive? This Vegan Outfitters review answers those questions, and a few more besides.
Pros
- Great designs
- Ethical, sustainable clothing
- Competitively priced
Cons
- Limited styles
Who are Vegan Outfitters?
It’s a small UK based business selling ethical, sustainable vegan clothes. But not just any clothes because whilst their designs help spread the vegan message, they are also made by people paid a fair wage, often printed to order to avoid waste and delivered in plastic-free packaging.
What makes clothes vegan friendly?
Essentially, the materials the clothes are made from. Ethical vegans won’t wear wool, silk, leather or any other material that comes from an animal, but will wear cottons and most synthetic fabrics too. However, there are hidden uses of animal by-products in some clothing including the use of bone for buttons, some inks and dyes (although most are now synthetic) and glues often used in footwear.
My experience of Vegan Outfitters clothing
When I first chose to follow a vegan lifestyle 8 years ago, my first thought was about the food that I ate. Following that came the cosmetics and toiletries I used, then removing leather from my wardrobe in the form of belts, shoes, boots and bags. But with my clothes, I originally – and mistakenly – thought that as long as I avoided the obvious animal ingredients like wool and silk, it wasn’t something I had to think too much about.
Well, turns out I was wrong! With some glues and inks containing animal pigments, and my recent discovery that the button on my very ordinary cotton trousers was made from animal bone, the inclusion of animal by-products in clothing is more common than you think. And so, I became aware of the very real need for fully vegan clothing.
Consequently, when Vegan Outfitters asked me to review their brand, I readily accepted their offer of a sample t-shirt with a very vegan slogan on it for a number of reasons: firstly, they are a small business and I’d like to help promote the importance of their fully vegan clothing; and secondly, because it’s a bit of a mould-breaking moment for me!
You’ll have probably heard the joke, “How do you know someone’s vegan? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you”. But actually, it’s not something that I consistently mention. As a rather militant teenage vegetarian (hundreds of years ago now), I used to make sure everyone knew my views about animal cruelty but now, after years of conditioning in corporate life, I’m not so forthcoming about my personal views and people certainly wouldn’t look at me and think that I’m vegan (unless they’re a reader of my website)!
So, time for a change. I really love the Vegan Outfitters t-shirt I chose, taking every opportunity to wear it (washing it occasionally in between!) and prompting questions about my vegan lifestyle too. And I also confidently promote the brand because my experience of their quality and service is excellent. Apart from the all-important vegan dyes and inks, the organic cotton is thick and the t-shirt has withstood several washes without losing its shape or its colour. It’s very well-made and remains a really good fit in spite of my washing machine’s objective to try and shrink everything. I also think they are reasonably, and competitively, priced.
The only problem is which design to choose: some have subtle vegan sentiments, some are more ‘in-your-face’ and I would genuinely wear any of them. They don’t just do t-shirts though and you can also buy hoodies, sweatshirts, joggers, seasonal jumpers, as well as a range of accessories. And if you do buy from them, you might find that their order confirmation and delivery emails raise a smile too – I was amused anyway!
All-in-all, my experience of this brand so far has been very positive but if you’d like to know more about why I like them, read my full Vegan Outfitters review below.
I like the range of designs and slogans
Whether you’re a vegan or an environmentalist (although in my book you can’t have one without the other!) there’s a design for you. I love my ‘perception’ t-shirt with the pig and the dog image (which I think is a hard argument for people to ignore) but I would wear any of them and I think they stand out from the crowd with some unique designs. They’re also all pretty much unisex/gender neutral which is great.
Some of the designs are replicated on their accessories (beanies, mugs etc), and I really love the fact that they have a good range of clothing for kids too, so that’s christmas presents sorted for the grandchildren!
I think it’s an ethical brand making sustainable clothing
And there are several reasons why I believe this to be the case:
- they use organic cotton
- all the materials, dyes etc are vegan
- their packaging is completely plastic-free
- clothing is made to order or in small batches to reduce waste
- Vegan Outfitters actively avoids suspect supply chains and sweat shop environments
- they hold genuine sales but don’t offer random discount vouchers, preferring to donate some of their profits to meaningful charities
The brand is certified vegan by PETA, and their website also states that the entire team are committed to plant-based lifestyles, so hopefully they don’t just ‘talk-the-talk’ either.
Vegan Outfitters clothes are competitively priced
OK, so I’d always like things to be cheaper but I did do a fair bit of digging around on the internet and any broadly similar UK brands that I found were consistently a bit more expensive by at least 10%. On average you’ll pay about £23 for a t-shirt from Vegan Outfitters, £44 for a hoodie, and £37 for joggers. Not cheap necessarily, but I would question any brand that sells clothes for less whilst claiming similar quality and ethics.
Their styles are limited to casual clothing
I consider myself very lucky because I work from home almost all the time nowadays and so can indulge myself in seriously comfy clothing all the time. However, I appreciate that rocking up to a client meeting in a very corporate environment may not be the time to wear your Save the Chubby Unicorns t-shirt, so this brand may not satisfy your need for those more formal occasions. But for all those other times, Vegan Outfitters has your back!
Vegan Outfitters Review verdict
I’ve been very impressed by the quality of this brand’s clothing, and all my dealings with them have given me confidence that this is a business with clear ethical values and a determination to minimise its negative impact on animals, people and the planet. Their service is good too, with appropriate (and amusing) email communications to confirm order placement and then delivery, but without additional messages needlessly filling up your inbox. And by wearing their clothes that have such thought-provoking messages on them it means that in a small way, I am helping the cause of vegan activism and spreading the word too.
No offence to those naturists out there but most of us have to buy and wear clothes (thankfully)! However, that doesn’t mean you can’t be choosy about where to spend your money and I am genuinely pleased that there are brands like this around where I can spend some of mine.
Consequently, if you’re looking for comfy, good quality, ethically and sustainably made clothes, then Vegan Outfitters is definitely worth a look. Us herbivores need to stick together!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my Vegan Outfitters review. Want to find some vegan socks to go with your new t-shirt? If so, head over to my Best Vegan Socks guide to find some toasty toe-warmers, or just take a look at some of my other vegan lifestyle reviews and guides. Here are just a few examples below:
Leave a Reply