• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Can leather be ethical?

ben39

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
71
Reaction score
0
Just curious as to what you guys think? I believe in quality > quantity and products which last. I know larger companies factory farm animals, but what about the smaller guys like Tanner and Kenton Sorenson? Where do they get the material from? I really know nothing about it but I'm interested it.
 

dunga

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
104
Reaction score
0
Why wouldn't leather (animal) be ethical?
 

The Thin Man

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2009
Messages
572
Reaction score
95
dr-zaius.jpg
 

chasingred

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,189
Reaction score
5
This seems like it completely depends on your standard for ethics. If you believe killing an animal is wrong for any reason, then most leathers aren't ethical.

I've read of some leathers, however, that are taken from stillborns. I suppose that would be the most ethical. There's some company that makes belts out of such leathers.
 

mrtef3

Active Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2010
Messages
43
Reaction score
1
Originally Posted by ben39
Just curious as to what you guys think? I believe in quality > quantity and products which last. I know larger companies factory farm animals, but what about the smaller guys like Tanner and Kenton Sorenson? Where do they get the material from? I really know nothing about it but I'm interested it.


Ethics are subjective.Attachment 56168
 

ben39

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
71
Reaction score
0
I'm not against killing animals. However, I am against factory farming animals. I try to eat local grass fed meat whenever possible. http://tuff-as-nuts.blogspot.com/201...l-leather.html From memory I think Tanner and Kenton Sorenson uses vegetables dyes and natural leathers. Maybe that's what I should look out for.
 

Ianiceman

Timed Out
Timed Out
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
2,651
Reaction score
495
I haven't eaten meat for 25 years but have nine leather jackets/coats and several shoes all leather. Not quite sure where my ethics are, I think factory farming is a disgusting mess but I also think cows are one of the dumbest creatures on the planet who wouldn't last ten minutes without humans to protect them from wolves. They contribute to global warming with their methane farts and don't even have the sense to lift their tails, just ******** all over their back legs the dirty dirty bastards.
 

MBreinin

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2009
Messages
4,118
Reaction score
293
Animals taste good. After their skin has been removed, tanned and crafted into shoes, it keeps my feet warm and safe. 100% ethical.

Mike
 

SpooPoker

Internet Bigtimer and Most Popular Man on Campus
Affiliate Vendor
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Oct 11, 2009
Messages
43,893
Reaction score
73,332
Originally Posted by MBreinin
Animals taste good. After their skin has been removed, tanned and crafted into shoes, it keeps my feet warm and safe. 100% ethical.

Mike


lol8[1].gif
 

Kent Wang

Affiliate Vendor
Affiliate Vendor
Dubiously Honored
Joined
May 5, 2005
Messages
5,841
Reaction score
1,492
This is all conjecture on my part, but I would guess that all leather (excluding exotics like reptiles) is a byproduct of the meat industry. I've never heard of anyone cultivating cattle specifically for their leather. I would guess that the best leather is simply selected from the massive amount of hides that are produced by the beef industry.

It is even possible that non-factory-farmed hides are simply discarded if it's too much trouble to send them to a hide processor.

I have no qualms with eating or wearing any kind of animal product, but I find it interesting to know about.
 

Captain Winky

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
870
Reaction score
2
It's ethical as long as you make sure to sell the steaks to a butcher and grind up the rest of the innards to use as animal fodder. Don't be wastful.
 

Chargersfan

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2009
Messages
277
Reaction score
2
As someone who works in Public Health, and has visited several working slaughterhouses I think it's ethical...as long as you view eating animals as ethical. Spendling some time on the killing floor I can assure you that they use all parts of the animal. And I do mean ALL parts.

Enjoy your hotdogs and hamburgers....

nest.gif
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 85 37.3%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 87 38.2%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 24 10.5%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 36 15.8%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 36 15.8%

Forum statistics

Threads
506,473
Messages
10,589,642
Members
224,248
Latest member
eol
Top