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

Olympic Shame, Vancouver Goes Veg & Loomstate Sale

The organic cotton line Loomstate is having a sale on GILT GROUPE today (up to 70% off retail) You must have an invite to partake. And now you do! We have to admit though, we are little disappointed to see that Loomstate, one of our favorite lines, has started using lambswool. Boo! It always boggles our minds how “green” designers seem to ignore the fact that livestock production (yes, including sheep and lamb) is the single greatest cause of environmental devastation. Lambswool is a very profitable byproduct of the meat industry, yet there are so many amazing alternatives like banana silk, soy yarn, bamboo yarn, corn fiber yarn and more! It’s just lazy (not to mention ecologically hazardous and cruel) to keep using animal fibers. Stick to Loomstate’s organic cotton in this sale!

Vancouver is offering veggie dogs and veg chili to athletes and fans thanks to Olympic sponsorship from Hain Foods. The Good Dog “We are dedicated to the spirit of the Games and providing A Healthy Way of Life; and are very proud to showcase healthy, sustainable living at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games through Hain Celestial Canada’s natural and organic products. Having visited many concessions during my Olympic trip, it was with great pride that I watched the spectators make the healthy choice choosing our Terra Chips and Yves Veggie Cuisine veggie dogs while cheering on all the athletes!”

It’s too bad that Canada is known for it’s brutal baby seal slaughter. Peta has made their own official Olympic logo and pin for the olympics. “Most people would agree that there is something terribly wrong with shooting and smashing in the skulls of baby seals, yet despite international outrage, the Canadian government allows sealers to beat and skin hundreds of thousands of these gentle creatures every year. So why is Canada killing seals? The seal slaughter exists because of the overall demand for fur.”

Vancouver Olympic Shame: Learn more.

4 Comments

joshuakatcher, February 19th 2010 | Tags: baby seal slaughter, loomstate, olympics, seal hunt, veggie dogs, wool, yves
Posted in activism, animal rights, cruelty-free, design, event, fashion, global warming, green, music, organic, sale, vegan, vegetarian, video

Fresh Friday Finds

1. Conference of Birds

I attended the COB runway show for the Spring 2009 collection and was thrilled to see some organics! Andrew Holden’s ‘excellent bad-boys’ looked as if they were just back to London from a desert excavation or an Egyptian urban-safari. This collection featured gorgeous canvas jackets, Hebrew-inspired scarves, lots of layers, an organic hooded trench coat, vests, and a bright but soft color palate of yellow, bone, black, gray and pale blue. DB contributer Jodi worked on this collection. Most of the spring collection was vegan, but there was some wool and leather, unfortunately.

2. Blog of a Vegan Pirate

SuperVegan has been publishing the blog of Tod Emko who documented his time serving on the Sea Shepherd pirate ship, The Steve Irwin, and their mission to stop illegal Japanese whaling from February and March of 2008. In light of the 2008 IWC Meeting finishing with the usual deadlock, and Sea Shepherd officially announcing its 2008-2009 anti-whaling campaign, Operation Musashi, it seemed a good time to show people what’s going on in the world of whaling.

3. ‘Top Model’ Judge Protects Seals!

America’s Next Top Model judge and renowned photographer Nigel Barker opens A Sealed Fate? tonight in New York. If you are in NYC, go check out an exhibition about the world’s largest slaughter of marine animals. Tyra, no doubt, would approve—even if she didn’t think of it first.
July 25-27 at 401 Projects, 401 West St., New York, (212) 633-6202, humanesociety.org/protectseals

4. Victoria’s (Dirty Forest Destroying) Secret cleaned up!

LISTEN to CEO Todd Katzenmeyer as he talks about how the Forest Ethics campaign changed the company’s catalog practices. Also pay attention to the insanity of Corporate monsters like VS and the insanity they foster.

5. An Olympic-Sized Fur Trade

China is one of the world’s largest suppliers of fur garments. More than 95 percent of China’s finished fur garments are exported for sale overseas, and many of them go to North America. Cat and dog fur is often deliberately mislabeled as “Asian jackal” or “rabbit” fur. This summer, with the world’s eyes focused on China during the Olympics, PETA is exposing the horrors that take place on Chinese fur farms. This is a historic opportunity to speak out against the global fur trade and influence consumers worldwide.

6. Ontario has made the largest conservation commitment in Canadian history, setting aside at least half the Northern Boreal region – 225,000 square kilometres – for permanent protection from development.