Stella McCartney Vegan Bags are an Ethical Rip Off

'The consumption of animals - whether you're wearing them or eating them - is extraordinarily damaging to the planet. There are over a billion animals killed a year for food, half of which don't even get eaten. And there's over 50 million animals killed just for fashion.'

'If you're mindful of how you're approaching your life, then you see the connection. You can't avoid the connection.

-Stella McCartney BOF Magazine

Stella McCartney is a leading pioneer, in the fight for ethical high fashion. As spokesperson for PETA, her products stand true to her vegetarian beliefs, and no animal skins, fur, or feathers are ever used in her collections.

The only problem is, as ethical as her materials maybe, her price point is undeniably criminal. She is undoubtedly profiting from the vegan hype and the ignorance of many consumers, who cannot tell the difference between faux and real.The truth of the matter is, people place trust in the price. If you pay a couple of thousand on a bag, you assume it is made of the finest quality and will last you a lifetime. As far as I am aware, she has not patented some ultra exclusive fiber that trumps the quality of real genuine leather or mimics any of its luxurious qualities. Lets be real, pleather is cheap, lacks character and ages poorly. 

To be fair, luxury  brands in general, have millions of costs separate from the actual material fees. Whether it be advertisement, promotion, runway, production, there are a lot of reasons price points on brands, balloon out of proportion.

 However, $1,000 - $4,000 for a FAUX leather bag is undeniably a huge stretch and a clear rip off. At such a price point, the consumer (at the very least) should be guaranteed a product of the highest luxury material, or a highly developed alternative, that is a worthy competitor of leather. 

 If ethics is truly as high of a concern as they say, the money they save by using fake materials, should be noticeable in the final price. Or at the very least, a portion of the profits should be donated to an animal rights group. 

Otherwise, please do not vomit ethics, while profiting off of it. 

xo,

Maya