Some alternative fabrics form replacements for fabrics in the fashion industry. Vegan tweed is difficult in this case because there is no direct replacement for tweed that’s vegan-friendly. Read on to find out why tweed is not vegan friendly, and some vegan tweed alternatives.
Where Does Tweed Come From?
Tweed aka the big cloth was a Scottish invention. It later came to Ireland too.
Tweed comes from wool that’s been sheered off the sheep. Sheep sheering is a required practice to avoid sheep’s wool becoming matted, tangled, and difficult to manage.
Some sheering methods are painless for the animal and should be considered similar to dog grooming with a pair of clippers.
Other types of sheering are difficult for the animal to endure.
Therefore, sheep sheering and wool sit in a murky category because vegans cannot know for sure how the wool (or wool to produce tweed) was produced.
On a related note, cruelty-free wool and tweed should be seen as distinctly different from leather.
Leather requires an animal hide; therefore, the animal is no longer living.
With wool, it can be safely and painlessly sheered from the sheep.
Tweed is produced from wool that’s been dyed, then spun, and finally woven into a piece of tweet fabric.
The fabric was used for its weather-proofing abilities way back in the 1800s.
Of course, since this time, we now have synthetic fabrics and other alternatives that can serve this purpose. At the time though, it was using an animal’s natural weatherproofing as their own.
Vegan Alternative To Tweed
It is necessary to pick and choose through a variety of vegan fabric options to find something that’ll work for you. Tweed is unique, so there isn’t a like-for-like match in its look and feel to it. However, there are some good vegan alternatives to tweed if you’re more flexible:
Cotton, Hemp, of Cork
Cotton, hemp, or cork make for excellent natural vegan fabrics. These can be made into a pleasing jacket with a little heft to it for colder months.
Semi Synthetics
Some semi-synthetics may also be appropriate. These might include vegan leather, bamboo, or perhaps Lyocell (made from several species of tree such as eucalyptus). Tencel is the best, ethical brand for Lyocell.
Modal is another fabric option, also made from the eucalyptus tree. Tencel is also involved there.
For lighter jackets or heavier coats for winter, consider polyester, rayon, or nylon.
These can also have a vegan-friendly inner lining and fill to keep you well insulated.
Lastly, another option is rPet. It is recycled polyester and is a robust material to produce longer, heavy winter coats.
Companies That Offer Vegan Tweed
Unfortunately, we have not found companies that specifically offer vegan tweed. Do you know of any that we could share with our readers? If so, let us know in the comments below.
Versions of fabrics can be produced using organic cotton, polyester, and perhaps acrylic. These may approximate tweed to some degree. But we’ve struggled to find companies offering a fabric akin to tweed.
Many blended fabrics include a little bit of wool too. Therefore, the alternative fabric options above are the best choice here.
If you have enjoyed this article on vegan tweed, you may be interested in our article on how to shop for sustainable fashion, it will take you through all of the things you should be considering if you wish to make ethical choices in your fashion, as well as keeping it vegan.
If there are any other articles you would like to see on vegan fashion, let us know in the comments below, and we will see what we can do.
