Vegan Winter Wardrobe Essentials to Help You Stay Warm and Stylish

Do you live in Alaska? Do you dream of sleeping in an Icelandic igloo? Do you spend more time than the average human searching through the freezer for vegan ice cream? (Am I projecting?) Well, regardless, brrr.

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When it’s excessively cold, you may start to second-guess your animal-friendly stance, thinking, “I don’t want animals to be killed for wool, fur trim, or down, but it’s gonna be so cold ….”

Snap out of it!

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Vegan winter wardrobes are real, and they’re spectacular. That’s why we’ve collaborated with designer Matt Sarafa on a limited-edition line of faux-fur bomber-style jackets, complete with matching face masks. Check them out, along with some of our favorite finds for staying warm in the face of wicked weather:

Jackets, Coats, and Parkas

Urban Outfitters? Gag. Anyone who’s opposed to looking like an evil doofus wouldn’t be caught dead covering their body with birds’ feathers. You can’t pull it off, hunni. It’s not OK for companies to support the torment and deaths of animals for jacket materials (or for any reason)—and even when you require heavy-duty winter gear, you can still refuse to pay for animal abuse. These compassionate brands have got you covered with all the cute and cozy options you need:

• Apparis
• Bernardo
• Harper Coats
• MATT & NAT
• Matt Sarafa x PETA (A portion of the proceeds from this line supports PETA’s vital work for animals.)
• NOIZE
• Save the Duck
• Wuxly Movement

Some well-known brands, like The North Face, also offer warm, down-free jackets—just make sure you check the tags and only buy items made of 100% vegan materials before purchasing. (Check out this page for help figuring out which materials to look for and which to avoid.)

Sweaters and Other Knitwear

Sweaters can take you from zero to snuggly in the blink of an eye, and that’s why they’re considered essential from early fall until the flowers start to bloom the following year. You can find wool-free knitwear just about everywhere, but these stylish brands have a special place in our wardrobes:

• Apparis (Available in women’s)
• ASOS (Many options are available in men’s and women’s)
• KD New York Vegetable Cashmere Collection
• Kotn (Many options are available in men’s and women’s)

Boots

We know your li’l piggies need to stay warm ‘n’ toasty, too, while you trek through the tundra. So let’s talk about UGG: It’s a greedy company that profits from animal suffering, and to that, we say #boybye #boycotted. Look for vegan boots from these brands instead:

• Dr. Martens
• Fair (Available in men’s and women’s)
• PAWJ

Scarves

Scarves are so cute. #AmIRite? But hey—you know what’s not cute? Putting tight bands on lambs’ scrotums until they become necrotic and fall off. We didn’t make that up—the wool industry actually does this to sheep. Let’s skip the gruesome castrations this winter, shall we? Try some vegan scarves, like ones offered by these brands:

• ASOS (Check the label.)
• H&M (Check the label.)
• NOIZE
• Old Navy (Check the label.)

Socks

Socks, especially ones marketed as “extra-warm,” can have wool in them sometimes. But hello—in this millennium, we use technology (not animals) to get the job done, and socks are no exception. Your search for comfortable, durable, sweat-wicking socks that keep your feet warm and dry without the use of animals ends here:

• Darn Tough Vermont: The Coolmax and Thermolite socks are designed for hiking but work well for winter walks around town, too. (Available in men’s and women’s)
• Wrightsock: The Adventure Crew Hiking Sock is a double-layer sock made of Dri-WRIGHT polyester. The two layers help prevent blisters and wick sweat. (Available in men’s and women’s)

Gloves

You’ll need full use of your phalanges if you get caught in a blizzard and need to send an SOS text (or more importantly, post pictures of your vegan hot chocolate on Instagram)—so keep them from freezing with these vegan gloves:

• Outdoor Research Gripper Sensor Gloves (available in men’s and women’s)
• The North Face Apex Heated Gloves (men’s)
• The North Face Osito Etip Gloves (women’s)

Hats

Your head is a fairly important part of your body, so be nice to it by keeping it warm—and be nice to animals by not paying for them to be killed. Here are some good options:

• The North Face Salty Dog Beanie (women’s)
• Burton Recycled Walden Beanie (women’s)
• L.L.Bean (Check the label.)
• The North Face Dock Worker Recycled Beanie (men’s)

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Staying warm doesn’t have to mean condemning animals to hell on Earth—the cruelty and exploitation inherent in the wool, fur, and down industries mean that buying winter gear made from animal parts is never the way to go. These recommended items should help you narrow down your choices in the seemingly endless sea of fashionable, warm, animal-friendly options.

If you decide to stray from this list, just be sure to look out for and avoid animal-derived materials that you might see listed on labels. These include alpaca fleece, angora, calfskin, camel hair, cashmere, down, fur, leather, mohair, pashmina, shearling, sheepskin, silk, suede, tweed, and wool.

Opt instead for vegan materials like Tencel, modal, bamboo, and viscose (which are highly sustainable) as well as acrylic, corduroy, cotton, cotton flannel, denim, elastic, faux fur, flannelette, imitation leather, leatherette, linen, moleskin, muslin, nylon, polyester, polyester fleece, rayon, rubber, Spandex, Ultrasuede, velour, and velveteen. And if you see felt, flannel, or fleece on the label, make sure it’s vegan—sometimes these materials are animal-derived, and sometimes they’re not.

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