little known fact: i became a vegetarian at the age of 12, and vegan at the age of 15. in high school, i was the president of the animal rights club. i would mostly bake vegan cookies and pass them out at lunch in an attempt to convince people that you could give up dairy and still have delicious treats. yet i was still somehow labeled as “the girl who hates cows” because i did a presentation about factory farming and suggested that cows were damaging the environment. obviously, i didn’t get the message across. i was a real-life lisa simpson.

fast forward more years than i’d care to count, and i’m no longer as militant in my beliefs as i once was. i’m not a self-identified vegan or even vegetarian, but the number of years i spent focusing on a plant-based (and cruelty-free) diet has really shaped my lifestyle choices today. obviously i don’t talk much about food because this is a fashion blog. but i can say that i’ve pretty dramatically shifted my focus towards a more ethical garment industry over the past several years.

and while i’ve seen a lot of talk about sustainability in fashion in recent years, it doesn’t typically delve into leather. i know i’m guilty of it! i tend to wear leather because i see it as a “natural” option that can last a lifetime. but the reality is that the production of cow leather leaves a massive footprint on the environment. i know a lot of us tend to shy away from “synthetic” materials, but fauxgerty is really leading the way in sourcing alternative materials with less impact on the environment, and on animals. founded in 2013 by chrissy fogerty,

“[their] garments are made of pre-loved vintage, innovative faux-leathers and suedes, and sustainable fabrics like hemp and fair-trade, organic cotton. [they] repurpose vintage fabrics for [their] dresses, skirts, jumpsuits and liners (beginning in 2017) to upcycle textiles that otherwise would have been disposed of in a landfill. [their] faux-leather is now pvc-free and [their] faux-suede uses post-consumer materials in it’s construction.”

if you’re leather-free, or interested in going leather-free, they truly have the best faux-leather jackets! two of my current favorites are the delicious olive suede biker jacket, the swazey, and the cute, rust suede bomber jacket, the ebaughmer. and of course, they also focus on other sustainable textiles, my favorite (photographed in this post) is the frannie dress, constructed in the usa with upcycled vintage 100% linen fabric. you already know how much i love linen, so this one was a no-brainer for me. and once this hot summer weather cools off a bit, i’m seriously looking into getting one of their amazing jackets! in the meantime, look out for a few more outfits featuring this awesome brand. and…

use code “calivintage” for 15% off at fauxgerty now through june 2!

wearing:
the frannie dress courtesy of fauxgerty
maryam nassir zadeh mules
bannet bag courtesy of ollie ella