Out of my shoe collection I still have some leather ones, let me explain to you why. When I decided to go vegan 18 months ago I did do it for the animals and the environment mainly. At least in my country we were raised in an agricultural culture where milk and meat was the every day food on your table and the leather left behind in the slaughter house was an opportunity for the small communities and farmers in Colombia to make money due to lack of opportunities in my homeland, because of that buying leather shoes was just as normal as eating ice cream or brushing my teeth, nobody would never start the conversation about animal welfare because there was not time for that, or at least that was what I believed in back then.

 

I knew animals were slaughtered in very sad ways, but I never knew or thought about them as emotional beings, with a heart and babies that they wanted to protect against everything and anything, so I bought all animal products not even checking out the material or where did came from. Then I moved to America and I started to have a lot of “Free” time, no friends and very little family so I started to spend my time looking inside animal cruelty and the way all the products I was buying were being made or test on animals in order to get to my hands  and that terrorized me, I felt sad and disappointed of myself for nor being strong enough to say no to foods that I didn’t need and more than anything else, beauty and fashion products that had caused unnecessary harm to those ones that didn’t ask for it. I still remember the last pair of vans I bought right before going vegan, literally a couple days before, and feeling awful but still using them, then I came home and counted how many shoes I had that were made out of leather, and I at least had 5 but I decided to keep them. Here goes why…

 

I don’t wear them with pride, I barely look at them but I also know there are two main things I want to avoid, and those are the following ones 1) Waste and 2) A nasty chain, when I say that I mean it, I already bought them and is not about the money, is about the actual waste and foot print it had already so throwing them in the trash won’t make an environmental difference anymore, and the nasty chain is giving it to somebody that uses leather, knowing that I will be giving them a leather product which will make me feel as I was encouraging them to buy more by giving them and,,, writing this, I also realized about donation, which I hadn’t think before about it, so that could be an option right now… I guess.

 

I wish I could go back in time and not make those purchases, BUT  we are all here to learn and being a vegan has been one of a kind experience that has change my life and has brought me to a point where I know as a fact that animals and the environment deserve just as much respect as the one I demand every day,  so here it goes the list of non-vegan things I own:

 

1 Kate Spade Wallet and a Card Holder

3 Pairs of vans

1 pair of flats

1 pair of booties.

1 pair of Dr Martens

There it is, my list! Feel free to comment down bellow yours and let me know why you are keeping your things and what has inspired you to change.

 

 

Blessings xoxo.