Vegan Wares

Our Philosophy 
 
Vegan Wares is owned and operated by people who live by the vegan philosophy and who are dedicated to providing high quality alternatives to leather products.  We have a strong concern for the welfare of all creatures of this earth, and so our products are free of ingredients derived from animals AND, as far as is possible, minimize negative environmental and social impacts.   We also hope that we can contribute to the evolution of a kinder human society by:

* simply existing & being noticed by people who might not otherwise think about veganism - ie raising consciousness in a non-threatening way
* offering fellow travellers the opportunity to more easily follow a cruelty-free life style
* attracting the patronage of non-veg people who would otherwise buy leather
* contributing to welfare programs for poor & exploited members of all / any species

Many of the principles behind our approach to business are set out in more detail under the headings that follow.

Veganism

A person following the vegan philosophy attempts to live without consuming or otherwise harming other creatures.  This involves observing a pure vegetarian diet (no animal products of any kind); more broadly avoiding the use or consumption of any products which have been tested on animals & / or have animal ingredients.  Hence for example, vegans will not wear leather & choose cosmetics which are not associated with cruel practices (many manufacturers of cosmetics use laboratory animals such as rats, rabbits & cats to determine whether new products are safe for use by humans.  Many such tests are diabolically cruel - for instance when the eyes of laboratory animals are bathed in chemicals to see if blindness is caused).

Living an 'environmentally responsible' lifestyle is also implicit in the vegan philosophy, and this includes minimizing our impact on the living space of other creatures by minimizing the volume resources that we consume, and being fussy about the types of resources that we consume.  There are many resources which come from non animal sources which nevertheless may be detrimental to animals - for example rainforest timber.

The reasons for adopting a vegan lifestyle can be varied, but usually include a deep feeling of sadness for the plight of other creatures & a determination to avoid contributing to their misery & exploitation.  Other reasons include health benefits of pure vegetarian diets, religious principles, and an appreciation & love of ecology - since a vegan approach to living is environmentally friendly.   To quote Maneka Ghandi, India's most prominent environmentalist : 

"If you keep clearing tracks all over the world just to keep growing animals for food then the bears, the tigers, the panthers won't stand a chance - every time you eat a piece of beef or pork or poultry, you are actually eating a wild animal along with it.  So you can't possibly say 'oh I'm a meat eater and I'm going to campaign for the bears'.  Or ' I'm a meat eater and I'm going to campaign for the cockatoos or the emus or the kangaroos'.  You can't save a damn thing as long as you eat meat.  You have to be a vegetarian. .... How can you respect one animal and eat another ?'  (Animals Today magazine, vol 12, No.1, 2004 - published by Animals Australia : www.animalsaustralia.org)


Similarly, by choosing high quality man-made products, including footwear, ahead of leather and inferior quality man-made materials, one is taking a positive and practical stand against animal cruelty and for a saner use of resources.

There is a wealth of information about veganism on the internet.  There are also some excellent vegan and vegetarian periodicals which you might like to support.  In Australia the two leading magazines are:

* Vegan Voice - www.veganic.net
* New Vegetarian & Natural Health -  www.veg-soc.org/html/mag-issues/current-issue.html

Jainism

The vegan philosophy is essentially practical - centred on being a thinking, compassionate & discriminating consumer.  Of course it is far more than that, but from a practical day-to-day point of view 'ethical consumption' is prominent.  The vegan movement as we know it is a fairly recent phenomenon.  Thirty years ago it comprised a mere handful of far-sighted pioneers, while today there are likely to be some millions of adherents in the western world.  However, the fundamental vegan ethic is actually quite ancient :  under the name 'ahimsa'  (non-violence) it is a cornerstone of the Jain religion which was founded in India thousands of years ago.  Actually, ahimsa is a much broader concept that veganism as it can be defined as non-violence in thoughts, words & deeds, in all aspects of life.

Jainism as it exists today has developed from the teachings of Lord Mahavira, a historically verified person who lived in India at the same time as Lord Buddha - around 500 BC.  Mahavira is said to be the 24th jain sage, the earlier ones reaching back to perhaps 8,000 years ago.  Over this immense period of time the jains have developed a wonderfully intricate & complete system of compassionate living.  However, jainism is little known in the west because it does not have a proselytizing tradition, and also because jain monks are wandering ascetics who do not use any form of mechanical transport - ie their only means of transport between jain communities is walking.   The principal of non-violence is perhaps best know in the west through the life of Mahatma Gandhi. 

As with hinduism & buddhism, jains believe in re-incarnation : the cycle of birth, death & re-birth, the purpose of which is the gradual perfection of the soul to the point where it can be released from the cycle to a higher state of immersion with the infinite.  In contrast to the major popular religions the path to this release is by deeds rather than belief.  Deeds attract karmic matter which attaches to the soul - good karmic matter derives from right conduct; bad karmic matter from bad / incorrect conduct.   If one lives a life of dishonesty, disrespect, anger, violence, etc., no amount of repentance at the end of that life will erase the accumulation of bad karmic matter.  For the accumulation to be removed requires further life times devoted to peaceful, ethical behaviour.

Whether you are an atheist, agnostic, or a follower of another spiritual path, you're likely to find the jain philosophy of interest if you hold vegan / vegetarian inclinations.  It's worth knowing that many of the principles that define how you might think about your life & the world, & which you have probably come to by listening to your own heart have been contemplated & codified by an dedicated community of strict vegetarians since virtually the beginnings of human civilization.

Here are some really good sources of information on jainism:
*  www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/jainlinks.html : an excellent gateway to jain web sites
*  'Jain Spirit' magazine, published in Uk : www.jainspirit.com
*  "Life Force - the world of Jainism" by Michael Tobias:  a very readable discussion of jainism from a western ecological perspective.  This book is available from Vegan Wares.  Email us for further details.

Product Standards

Not all motor vehicles available on the market are built to the same standards.  So it is also with footwear, including vegan footwear.  As with most products, price is generally indicative of quality, although sometimes the question of quality is obscured by advertising glitz. 

At Vegan Wares we are committed to making the best possible quality footwear, & to this end have set up our own factory so we can ensure that the products we sell are built in accordance with our values. 

Our definition of 'vegan' is:   free of animal products  AND   environmentally responsible AND produced in a socially fair manner. 

By 'socially fair' we mean that everyone involved in the making of our products has good working conditions & is paid a fair wage.

To us 'environmentally responsible' includes minimizing the consumption of the earths resources in order to ease the destruction of the habitat of other creatures.  Accordingly, all Vegan Wares products are:
* made with materials which have superior durability
* are constructed using methods which maximize product life
* are designed to be repairable - for example we use soles that can be patched or readily replaced.

Maximum product life minimizes the consumption of resources & hence the impact our lifestyles have on our planet.  It also provides the consumer with greater long term economy - since the price of one pair of Vegan Wares shoes say over 5 years is a lot less than the accumulated cost of 5 - 10 pairs of poor quality 'throw-away' shoes that one may go through over the same period.
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