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

Banuq & Bananas

• Banuq is a menswear label inspired by classics. In addition to only using organic textiles, creators Davide Grazioli and Mauro Pavesi claim that they have ongoing investment in “creating the first fully African ethical and organic supply-chain, all the way through the low mileage limited editions, like the Made in Italy heritage part of the collection” and “social improvement, support of traditional craftsmanship, promotion of low water consumption crops like hemp, use of accessories made out of waste materials like coconut shell buttons, use of the latest G.O.T.S., vegetal and mineral dyeing techniques, use of reclaimed, recycled or up-cycled materials. ” Check out Banuq’s lookbook (PDF)!

• GILT City i offering 40-50% off the amazing, guilt-free frozen fruit-based soft-serve from The Soft Serve Fruit Co. GILT City is member-only, so click here to join.

The shop features tastes of every season—banana, strawberry, mango, cranberry, pear, apple and pumpkin—and such toppings as fresh-cut fruit, hot peanut butter, pretzels, chocolate sauce and maple syrup.

The Soft Serve Fruit Co
Union Square - 25 East 17th St, NYC
Upper East Side – 1371 Third Ave. (at 78th st.)

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joshuakatcher, December 17th 2011 | Tags: Banuq, organic menswear, vegan suit
Posted in vegan

Constructing the Suit: No-Bull Buttons

I’ve been in the development process for the exclusive Discerning Brute Suit Line (which will be available on BraveGentleMan.com soon!) and there are so many elements to making a good suit, and may of them are not at all animal-friendly. From bull-horn and buffalo buttons to wool fabric, from horse or goat or camel-hair interfacing and wool felt under-collar fabric, to silk thread, making a cruelty-free suit is no easy task. Many menswear factories are set up to provide stock-interfacing and thread – and bringing in your own alternatives sometimes poses problems.

Things like buttons and interfacing are definitely more subtle elements of ethical fashion, but they are valid nonetheless.

What visually and texturally distinguishes horn buttons from alternatives like tagua nut, wood, plastic, or coconut? The buttons in the image below are typical horn buttons, carved from the horns of animals like buffalo or bull. Definitely not cruelty-free, and definitely not sustainable considering the ecological impact of livestock production.

Horn buttons come in light brown, dark brown, black, amber, and ivory. They usually have an organic texture (run your fingernail along the rim and it should have a tiny ridges, like a worn-down quarter, and often they appear to be marbleized. Upon close inspection, they have depth in the lighter areas, which are slightly translucent. Horn buttons are also typically semi-matte – unlike plastic buttons which are smooth and uniformly shiny, though many mimic the marble patter and colors.

Tagua Nut Buttons are a gorgeous, organic alternative to animal horn and plastic. They are also called Corozo, mococha and vegetable ivory. Tagua has been used in since 1750 for toys, beads, and buttons. The Tagua nut comes in various colors, shades, and patterns, and are considered the “ivory of wood”. Companies like Howies and Vaute Couture, who I’ve talked about on The Discerning Brute before, are now using Tagua Nut. The Tagua nut, it comes from a palm tree called Phytelephas Macrocarpa (a palm from South America). The nuts are gathered and dried out for 4-8 weeks, sorted and sliced. Their scientific name means “plant elephant” and the very hard white endosperm of their seeds (tagua nuts) resembles elephant ivory, does not break, and maintains the same properties as man-made buttons along with the texture and color patterning similar to horn.

The Tagua Nut is sustainably harvested, often fairly traded, and does not require the cutting-down of trees (since it comes from the tree’s nut). It also has such similar properties to Ivory that it has helped curb the poaching of elephants. What’s not to like? Definitely look for Tagua Nut Buttons on my upcoming suit line!

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joshuakatcher, December 6th 2010 | Tags: buttons, eco, ethical suit, green, howies, sustinable, tagua nut, vaute couture, vegan, vegan suit, vegetarian
Posted in vegan

Blazers and Suits for Gentle Men

Not all of us can afford to have a custom tuxedo made of hemp, like our vegan pal Woody Harrelson did back in March at the academy awards (although, I must admit that this custom Burberry creation is a really sharp tux!). One of the most common question’s I get is “where can I find cruelty-free suits and blazers that don’t look like crap?” It’s difficult to find decent looking formal-wear that isn’t wool, and I recommend linen and cotton suits if it’s not the middle of winter. As for warm, ethical suits… you’ll just have to wait for my very own line of Discerning Brute sustainable, vegan suits and tuxedos. For the time being, here’s some suggestions for your next gala, red carpet event, or wedding. Be careful to check the details, like bull-horn buttons and leather trimming or detailing. Often this is left out of online clothing descriptions :

• Loden Dager’s Organic Cotton Twill two-button, notch lapel Blazer (not sure what the buttons are) $600 (or full suit $900) in Turquoise or Khaki

• BBlessing’s Linen Tuxedo Jacket (not sure what the buttons are) on sale at GILT MAN, (click here for our invite) $158, black or gray

• Marc Jacobs double-breasted blazer in linen/viscose blend (not sure what the buttons are), $840

Poly suits and poly-blends are not the most eco-friendly, although they certainly have a smaller carbon footprint than wool and other livestock-derived products (What’s wrong with wool, you ask?). Although the following do not meet 100% of Discerning Brute standards, I thought I’d list them anyway because there is just such a lack of good-looking vegan suits in general:

• Indochino, an online resource for custom-made suits, offers an alternative to the wool suit in a series of popular, metallic poly-blends, all around $300-400:

* UPDATE: If it’s not one thing, it’s another. I just realized that all Indochino suits come standard with real bull-horn buttons. If you do place an order with Indochino, make sure to ask for a cruelty-free, alternative button.

• TOPMAN’s Black Slim Tux in a poly/viscose blend, $220 jacket, $80 pants

Some additional tips when looking for a vegan suit is to know what materials are used aside from wool and search for those at the store or on the web. A good suit should last you 15 years, and if you have the dough, consider working directly with a small designer or tailor and tell them what materials you’d like to use. Linen, for example is typically more sustainably produced than cotton (organic or not). It does not usually require chemicals and requires a lot less water. Hemp is the same.

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joshuakatcher, August 9th 2010 | Tags: ethical suit, ethical tuxedo, hemp tux, non-wool organic cotton blazer, tuxedo, vegan blazer, vegan suit, vegan tux, Woody Harrelson
Posted in Suit, vegan

Bamboo Suit, KEEP them, and Project X

• Major Etsy find! A 3 piece suit made from bamboo rayon? No way! Custom tailored to you! $675

• KEEP Shoes is having a great sale on Gilt Groupe. These funky cotton kicks are great for spring, and super affordable at 32$! As usual, you need an invite to join Gilt Groupe.

• Remember the movie Project X from the 80′s where Matthew Broderick tries to save some chimps from being radiated in cruel experiments? Well, now that NASA has decided to start radiating squirrel monkeys, we may need take Matthew’s lead and tell NASA to stop! Can you believe that nasty experiments like this are still being conducted?

http://www.starz.com/titles/ProjectX/PublishingImages/project_x_1987_685x385.jpg

Project X, 1987 CBS/FOX

The studies conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York will expose squirrel monkeys to repeated doses of radiation. Radiation experiments involving nonhuman primates commonly involve restraint and other cruel procedures. Monkeys, like other primates, are highly intelligent, have strong family bonds, demonstrate empathy, and, most importantly, suffer.

Genetic, physiological, and anatomical differences between humans and monkeys dramatically limit the conclusions that can be drawn from the planned studies. Ongoing studies, including those funded by NASA, already use nonanimal methods to determine the effects of low-dose radiation on human tissues. – PCRM

• Turk + Taylor, AW2010. One of our favorite organic lines, Turk + Taylor, showed their AW 2010 collection at the NOW showcase in New York. Here’s some images from their upcoming look-book. Stay tuned! More to come. (And check their rad vegan model, Jayce!)

• Rock it Out: A Night to Benefit New York’s Farm Animal Sanctuaries
Reidy Hall @ All Souls Church
New York, NY
Saturday, March 06, 2010 - 7:00 PM
www.allsoulsnyc.org

Come out to support and celebrate two of New York’s Farm Animal Sanctuaries – The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in Woodstock, NY (www.woodstockfas.org) and Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY (www.farmsanctuary.org)!
Live performances by: Jay Stolar of Julius C, Cristin Milioti, Kaylin Lee Clinton, Whitney Wolf , Melissa Lusk and Matt Roi Berger, Grace McLean, Shaina Taub, Lindsay Wolf and Neimah Djourabchi
With special guest Jenny Brown, co-founder of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary!
Also enjoy wine, hors d’oeuvres, a chance to win one of our many raffle prizes, as well as homemade baked goods from our in-house bake sale!
$10 pre-sale
$15 at the door (cash only)
Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at: https://www.mycommunitytickets.com/event_info.asp?eventid=26496

• Check this Paul Smith organic cotton hoody in gray or purple!

• Need a kickstart? Get Ready to Kickstart Your Health on March 1!

Based on research by Neal Barnard, M.D., one of America’s leading health advocates, this program is designed for anyone who wants to explore and experience the health benefits of a vegan diet. Low-fat vegan—plant-based—diets are the easiest way to trim excess weight, prevent diabetes, cut cholesterol, lower blood pressure, prevent and reverse heart disease, and reduce cancer risk. They even trim our carbon footprint.

1 Comment

joshuakatcher, February 23rd 2010 | Tags: cotton, egan, farm sanctuary, keep shoes, kickstart, matthew broderick, NASA, paul smith, pcrm, project x, radiation, squirrel monkeys, turk + taylor, vegan suit, vegetaran, WFAS, woodstock sanctuary
Posted in activism, animal rights, cruelty-free, design, fashion, green, Health, news, organic, sale, social responsibility, vegan, vegetarian, video

Suitable

Photo: Richard Drew/Associated Press

No, the model on the left is not wearing a Christopher Raeburn suit. These two models who walked the streets of NYC during Fashion week in September wear Bagir EcoGir suits made from recycled PET bottles, bamboo and organic cotton. Bagir Ltd. is an Israel-based tailored apparel manufacturer specializing in high tech innovations.

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joshuakatcher, November 16th 2009 | Tags: badgir international, ecogir, organc suit, recycled suit, vegan suit
Posted in cruelty-free, fair trade, fashion, green, news, organic, social responsibility, trend report, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian

Eco Tuxedo

I recently received a letter from reader Beau:

Hey DB,

I’m definitely in need of some help here in California! Here’s what’s up: I really wasn’t planning on going to my prom this year… that is until one of my good friends came out of nowhere and asked if I’d go with her as pals. Anyway, now I’m sort of freaking out about what the hell to wear in terms of a non-wool tux. I think I can handle the bow-tie (thanks for that post) and non-leather shoes. So maybe you could help me out in finding a fashionable, sustainable, vegan tux, or a good company that makes them?

Thank you for all that you do- you’re such an inspiration and The Discerning Brute is such a valuable resource.

Beau Broughton

Hey Beau,

Finding a non-wool, cruelty-free tuxedo or suit for a prom or a wedding is definitely a challenge. And finding an eco-friendly and cruelty free tux is next to impossible. If you’ve got money, I’d suggest having a tux custom tailored from organic cotton, or any other eco-friendly fabric.

There are a few expensive designer options. The first Versace jacket below isn’t a tux, per se, but you can dress it up with a bow tie:

Eco-Vegan Bamboo Sportcoat from Versace. $895 at Nordstrom:

This tuxdo is another really pricey option, but it’s green and cruelty free. Eco Vegan Bamboo/Cotton Velvet Tux from Peak Lapel. $1,661.95 at Sierra Trading Post (includes bamboo/cotton pants):

A more affordable option is Rawganique‘s organic, hemp, fair-trade ‘Wedding Jacket’ with matching slacks. $437 at Rawganique.com

There are even more affordable options from After Six, with a 100% poly (not as eco-friendly, but cruelty-free) Tux in white, bone, ivory, and black.