The Discerning Brute: fashion, food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man » leather

McQueen’s Murdered Tiger, Knowledgeable Cotton, Foie Gras Rebel Rousing & More Man Bags

joshuakatcher — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:35:36 +0000

• Knowledge Apparel in Denmark has some shirts and shorts that I love, all in 100% organic cotton. I recently contacted them to see if the small leather tags on some of their other organic apparel is real or not. I will let you know what they (and I, in response) say ! In the meantime, these are cruelty-free and great for spring and summer:

• A stuffed tiger on display in a London art gallery was once used alive by Alexander McQueen in a Puma ad last year. The stuffed tiger has been seized by Scotland Yard's Wildlife Crime Unit under allegations that it was murdered for profit.Hint Magazine has the full article involving arrests, endangered species, and a crackdown on the illegal animal trade bizarrely code-named Operation Charm. • Starving Calves tied to a tractor and left to die were rescued by Farm Sanctuary two nights ago. Due to their dire condition, the calves were administered emergency electrolytes while in transit to Cornell University Animal Hospital, where they received urgent medical attention. If you would like to help supply urgent funds to help them, click here. • Matt & Natt has some more new vegan accessories for men featuring recycled-soda-bottle faux-suede lining. • Activists from the Animal Protection & Rescue League will descend upon Telepan, a restaurant that claims to care about animals, on March 27 from 7 p.m. till 9 p.m to protest the restaurant's selling of Foie Gras, a cruel product made by of force-feeding geese through a pipe until their livers become diseased and grow to 12-times their normal size. New York Magazine's Grub-Street cover's the story in their typically snarky way. Please go and leave comments in response to things in the comment section like "I've seen geese "force-fed" several times, and they loved every minute of it...I don't think I've ever seen happier geese" or "The Center for Constitutional Rights said...." or "They should try some foie gras, maybe they wouldn't be as cranky..." or "I suppose we could respect each other's decisions." Hasn't some genius invented a soundboard to respond to the same stupid things over and over? I feel like a broken record half the time.

Youthful Abandon from Paris

joshuakatcher — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:00:09 +0000

Rock-star photographer Aliya Naumoff shot these awesome photos for the Spring/Summer 2010 collection from April77. The brains behind the line, Parisian-Vegan, Brice Partouce, was inspired by the late-80s/early-90s music scenes of noise, hardcore, grunge and shoegazing. Featuring coarse, open-end denim, and an unkempt, vintage, preppy appeal, oiled cotton jacket, flanel shirts and chino pants. This is the last season April 77 will use any wool (they are already fur, leather, and feather-free) and by Autumn Winter 2010, the line will be completely vegan.

BB Steps It Up

joshuakatcher — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:00:57 +0000

New shoes and ankle-boots from the spring 2010 Bourgeois Boheme mens' collection knocked our socks off - and who needs em'? These sharp kicks will look just great without socks beneath a pair of cuffed up jeans or shorts, come spring time. We are drooling, here. The leather-free, fair labor, cruelty-free accessories label is certainly stepping it up. Who knew leather-free could mean classic, smart, and sexy. They are not yet available for sale, but will be soon enough. Save up, boys! Thanks to reader Gareth for the tip-off!

Tough Stuff: April77′s Badass Jackets

joshuakatcher — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:45:47 +0000

Yeah, it's true that real leather bites the big one. Chromium-pollution is so 90s. Thankfully, our friends over at GlassBoutique in the UK sent us some gorgeous images from April77's take on a couple of classic rebel jackets, like the biker and the bomber. Lighter and more fitted, these waxed-cotton collectibles could be a devilishly-handsome addition to your permanent wardrobe. Here's the Decontrol Jacket with a smart, red-plaid lining. Here's the Heat II Bomber, featuring black tartan lining, shoulder epilettes and chunky silver zips.

Leather Jacket: The Rebel Icon That Lost Its Gall

TheDiscerningBrute — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:39:15 +0000

by Joshua Katcher

Since the first Harley Davidson Motorcycle Jacket appeared in the United States in 1919, there might not be a symbol that resonates more clearly in almost every subculture than the leather jacket. From rock stars, punks, bikers, to hipsters, fashionistas, greasers, goths, metal-heads, and even the not-so-subcultured like military aviators and the police - the leather jacket has largely defined 'cool' since the word cool was made to mean something new by jazz legend, Lester Young, in 1933. In addition, many fashion experts regard leather as having unsurpassed sex-appeal - so much that it has one of the most popular fetish followings. Originally made for its functionality of durability and protective properties, it has come to suggest masculinity, and strength - and more recently as high-end designers cash in our desires to look cool and strong, wealth. Sid Vicious' suicide note instructed: "Bury me in my leather jacket..." Images of James Dean, Elvis, Marlon Brando, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Michael Jackson, The Fonz, Cathy Gale, Indiana Jones, and even the Black Panthers and the Russian Bolsheviks come to mind when we think of leather jackets. Hollywood helped launch the leather jacket as a symbol of intimidation and rebelliousness early on with Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne in Leather Bomber Jackets, and films like The Wild One, Easy Rider, Grease and Mad Max . What is a leather jacket? Well, to be simple, it's the preserved skin-organ of an animal, torn from its body, treated with chemicals, dyed, and cut up into pieces to be used as a "fabric". Like all flesh, without the toxic tanning process, leather would rot and decompose. Horses, goats, cows, calves, lamb, sheep, pigs and "exotic" animals like crocodiles, ostrich, and many kinds of snakes are all used for their skins. Other species are hunted and killed specifically for their skins, including zebras, bison, water buffaloes, boars, kangaroos, elephants, eels, sharks, dolphins, seals, walruses, frogs, turtles, and lizards. Dairy cows are also turned into leather once they are "spent" and their calves become expensive calfskin once slaughtered for veal. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the global leather industry slaughters more that a billion animals and tans their skins each year, globally. The tanning is especially problematic. If a billion animals are killed for their skins per year, you do the math on how many gallons of toxic chemicals are used to turn that into leather jackets. Communities surrounding tanneries in India, Kentucky, and Sweden report high instances of leukemia and cancer, and the chemicals used to tan leather, including heavy metals like chromium, find their way into water supplies and river systems. Animals on factory farms in the U.S. produce 130 times as much excrement as the entire human population, without the benefit of waste treatment plants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has even acknowledged that livestock pollution is the greatest threat to our waterways. Turning skin into leather also requires mineral salts, formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, and various oils, dyes, and finishes, some of them cyanide-based. Eco-friendly leather is a myth and a travesty. Based simply on the amount of resources it takes to raise animals - from feed crops, pastureland, water, and fossil fuels, to the record-breaking amounts of greenhouse gasses emitted by cattle (livestock production is the #1 cause of greenouse gas emissions), even if, at the very final stage of this environmentally devastating process, a "vegetable-based" tanning process is used, it does not erase the colossal leather boot-print that raising livestock has on ecosystems . What also becomes clear is the myth that synthetics are environmentally inferior to so-called "natural" materials like leather. Many people see leather as by-product of the meat and dairy industry, and justify wearing it with the rationalization " The animal is dead already, so we may as well make use of the skin". But would the animal be dead if there weren't a demand for it's flesh and skin in the first place? According to the USDA, the skin of the animal represents “the most economically important byproduct of the meat packing industry.” So it isn't just someone making use of scraps - it is a profitable industry in itself. It's clear that the leather jacket is a force to be reckoned with, but as our relationships to animals and ecosystems evolve, what does the leather jacket really mean, now? It all boils down to power - like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix, the leather trench represents his potentially intimidating and powerful appearance. Much like the meaning of fur, which has come to represent arrogant indifference towards animals, leather is headed down that same path, towards being a symbol of ignorance and indifference.

"The image of leather no longer defines outcasts, rebels, and counter-culture; instead, it is the epitome of mainstream, problematic relationships with ecosystems and violent and exploitative relationships with animals."

The gorgeous illusions spun by the Goliath fashion industry are, indeed, spellbinding. And it's no wonder the leather industry, with its orthodox relationship to the oldest, largest and most powerful fashion houses, has seen such consistent success. We hear writers, journalists and experts avow the nature of leather - how this "material" molds to our shape, breathes, and can withstand extreme punishment. But, it is not a "material" per se (any more than the Jewish hair used to stuff mattresses and pillows from the Nazi death-camps was a "material"). It was someone's very skin. How can anyone be taken seriously as a compassionate, conscientious, and ecologically responsible individual, while boasting such a powerful symbol of both ecological devastation and animal suffering? We know better. This isn't a leap of faith - the evidence is right there in front of us. Not only are there countless documented cases of animals being boiled and dismembered alive, but in India, one of the largest leather exporters, the cows have their tails broken and chili-peppers rubbed in their eyes to keep them moving on their exhaustive journey outside the boarders of India where they can legally be killed specifically for their skins. Snakes and lizards may be skinned alive because of the belief that live flaying makes leather more supple. Kangaroos are slaughtered by the millions every year; their skins are considered prime material for soccer shoes. The conditions and treatment these animals face are horrifying. Losing its gall. The image of leather no longer defines outcasts, rebels, and counter-culture; instead, it is the epitome of mainstream, problematic realtionships with ecosystems and violent and exploitative relationships with animals. It is woefully ordinary, and painfully tired. When you wear leather, you are no longer saying "I am powerful, individual, and cool", you are saying "I am environmentally irresponsible and I hate animals".

JUNE CONTEST! Win a pair of Bourgeois Bohéme brogues! (US size 10)

TheDiscerningBrute — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:27:29 +0000

Win a pair of Bourgeois Bohéme brogues! (US size 10) Bourgeois Boheme makes amazing, vegan shoes and boots for men and women. These Simpatias have been featured on the blog before, and I am sure someone who is a size 10 will have some happy, handsome feet! These are some of my favorites!

You can win these Bourgeois Bohéme $125 shoes in a few simple steps:

Write a "letter to the editor" of any major fashion magazine you choose: Vogue, GQ, Elle, Cosmo, etc... explaining why leather is disgusting, toxic, unethical and outdated! Here are some facts & tips to help you write! Remember: the goal is to enlighten, not incite! Be respectful, and do not make threats.
Forward that letter to TheDiscerningbrute@gmail.com. The Subject line must read: JUNE CONTEST: Bourgeois Boheme (otherwise it may get trashed)
The best, most moving and creative letter wins!
Deadline is June 31st.
The winner will be announced July 1st.

* DISCLAIMER: The Discerning Brute takes no responsibility for the content of any letter written in association with this contest.

Fresh Friday Finds

TheDiscerningBrute — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:35:19 +0000

Fact! There are 700,000 homeless people in the U.S., and 18 million vacant houses and apartments... Source 1. Turk + Taylor, Spring 09 is looking good! T+T is one of our favorite designers, who we've been following for a few seasons now. The collection is almost 100% organic cotton. Check them out! Also check out their new organic tees. 2. These shoes are golden! Cool, Vegan, fair-trade, and eco-friendly, does it get any better than that ? Jinga was started 3 years ago by two gals who give back at least 5% of sales to a social project in a Rio de Janeiro favela (shantytown) which provides activities and education to children to keep them away from gangs! (Thanks to reader Michael B. for this info!) 3. Undercover Animal Lover. This guy is an ethical vegan who risks his safety killing animals all day and shooting undercover footage so we can get a glimpse into the heavily-shrouded meat and dairy industries. Can you imagine? Read this rare interview with TIME magazine, and check his HBO documentary Death on a Factory Farm airing March 16. 4. This Sunday, March 15th, eat good vegan food and help farm animals! Farm Sanctuary’s Dinner Night Broadway East 171 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002 Sunday, March 15, 2009 Reservations for your party are available between 7:30 and 10 p.m. Reserve your table online at www.opentable.com or by calling Laurie at 212-228-3100. Be sure to mention Farm Sanctuary when making your reservation. 5. One of our favorite organic companies, Loomstate, is having a party at one of our favorite eco-boutiques, Kaight, on Friday March 20th. Get a free Loomstate organic tee with any purchase of Loomstate S/S '09! 6. Person to know: Historian and Activist GEORGE DRAFFAN

" 'Development' is a euphemism, much like the word 'efficiency.' Efficiency within the current system is really about how fast you can turn forests and mountains into wastepaper and soda pop cans. Is that good? If the purpose of life is to consume and destroy, then international trade and industrial civilization are definitely proven ways to speed that up .”

7. Chloé Jo and the GGA weigh in on the myth that leather can be 'eco-friendly' , on the best Vegan Cheeses, and on the controversy surrounding veganizing your companion animal. Watch out for those crazy cat people! They get their claws out! 8. You might need a french terrycloth motorcycle jacket. I'm just saying.... 9. From the folks who brought you EcoRazzi, Veg Daily is Born! 10. Veteran vegan rockers Propagandhi talk to VegNews about their forthcoming album, Supporting Caste.

Naked Nudies, SDN Eco-Bandit, Waxed Spring Peacoat & Rachel Comey Spills Out Some Vegan Shoes

TheDiscerningBrute — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:43:36 +0000

There's nothing we like better than slim organic jeans, eco-bandits, waxed-cotton spring peacoats, and vegan, canvas oxfords! Well, maybe total animal liberation. In the meantime, get the organic Nudie 'Long John' at OAK NYC, the Rachel Comey 'Spiller' shoe at Gimme Shoes, the organic SDN collection at sarahdixonsnova.com or if you're in NYC, Treehouse, and the Spiewak bad-ass waxed peacoat at Alter. (Thanks to reader, Troy (A Kindness of Ravens) for the shoe tip!)

NOTE: I do believe there may be a leather belt-loop-label on the Nudie's. Find out why you won't like leather here.