It’s a fashion trend that never really goes out of style. Animal prints seem to have their moment every season. Leopard, zebra, and snakeskin-patterned textiles are sewn into blazers, skirts, slacks, and even crafted into shoes. But is it wrong to wear animal prints when you’re a vegan? Some might argue that it’s the ultimate form of praise. Others feel it’s appropriation.

Animal skins were often worn in tribal communities for warmth and to signify wealth. Feathers have been adorned historically as eye-catching accessories. In the era of Bettie Page and the Varga girls, animal prints celebrated the ribald side of female sexuality. In the 1970s and 1980s, animal prints showcased over-the-top opulence and eventually kitsch. 

However, knowing that the commodification of animals is wrong, some see the donning of printed animal skin as inappropriate. After all, to achieve the look, one might be subliminally sending the message that an animal died to create this texture. Even with graphic designers sometimes able to replicate these patterns by hand, they are still polarizing. The fashion industry is much more forgiving. Stylist Mickey Freeman told The Zoe Report: “In my opinion, animal prints are synonymous with the desire to abscond and experience the energy of exotic lands and their climates.”

At the other end of the fashion spectrum, some companies built on a ready-to-wear or retail business model understand customers’ changing needs and opinions. Retail outlet and styling service Stitch Fix administers a style quiz to assess which clothes clients are likely to purchase from their styling sessions. One of the questions is whether the customer likes animal prints. They even inquire whether that includes artistic renderings of animals like cartoon llamas, for example, or a quirky bird pattern. 

Wearing fabrics like silk, leather, and wool are huge blunders within the animal rights movement because they are stolen from animals without permission. It’s still a mixed bag regarding artificially crafted animal prints and patterns. If taking the stance that animal prints are wrong, one could argue the same for dressing up as a cat, bee, or cow on Halloween. If wearing zebra print is in poor taste, is it equally bad to wear a T-shirt with cartoon zebras printed on it? This debate even opens the door for products like faux fur and vegan leather to be ruled out, despite their popularity within the fashion world and the animal rights movement. Ultimately, since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, social responsibility, consciousness, and advocacy regarding this aspect of fashion should be governed by a similar code. 

Source: The Zoe Report