No leather, no silk, no wool

Designers and retailers across India are meeting the skyrocketing demand for cruelty-free clothing and accessories, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India recognised the best of the best with its Vegan Fashion Awards 2021 in celebration of World Vegan Month (November).

Thirty-three designers pledged to go leather-free following a letter from Lakme Fashion Week, the Fashion Design Council of India, and PETA India.

Actor and supermodel Milind Soman encourages his fans to keep animal skins out of their wardrobes. "No leather, no silk, no wool," he wrote on Instagram. "No pain caused to animals just to satisfy human vanity. If you care, this is the alternative." Soman was awarded the Best Vegan Fashion Style Icon.

"The winners of PETA India's awards prove that the future of Indian fashion is vegan," says PETA India Senior Media and Celebrity Projects Coordinator Monica Chopra. "From silk-free sarees to leather-free bags, wallets, and shoes, it's easier than ever to get a fashion-forward look that leaves cruelty to animals in the past."

PETA India also notes that turning animal skin into garments requires massive amounts of energy and dangerous chemicals that damage the environment. The 2017 Pulse of the Fashion Industry report revealed that leather, silk, and wool are among the most polluting materials in fashion.

The awards include:

• Luxury footwear brand Empyrean Luxury made the kind decision to stop using animal skins and switch to all-vegan material and received the Compassionate Business Award.

• Actor Alia Bhatt's Ed-a-Mamma helps nurture kids' love for animals and nature, gaining her the Best Vegan Kidswear Brand.

• From Kunal Avanti and Sunny Leone, I Am Animal's stylish sportswear is proudly vegan and so they win Best Vegan Active wear

• Thaely's sneakers are kind to the planet and animals, made from recycled plastic bottles and plastic bags, gets the Best Vegan Sneakers.

• The made-in-India, 100% vegan leather handbags by Qisa by Lavie were designed for today's eco-conscious young shoppers and get Best Vegan Bags.

• Best Vegan Wallets: Traditional Indian style meets modern animal-free materials in Zouk's handmade wallets and Best Vegan Women's Shoes, from juttis and sliders to heels and boots, Paio creates handcrafted, made-to-measure vegan leather footwear.

• Monkstory offers both classic footwear and cutting-edge style, all in luxurious vegan leather for the Best Vegan Men's Shoes.

• Best Vegan Silk for Vegan materials made by GBM Fabrics use TENCEL Luxe, a new fibre derived from renewable wood sources.

• Bioleather's tomato leather is unique, biodegradable, sustainable, and cruelty-free for the win of Best Innovation in Textile.

• Shubam Sarees offers a wide range of beautiful vegan silk kanjivaram sarees, from the interior villages of Tamil Nadu and was awarded Best Vegan Sarees.