I recently became a vegetarian and will no longer buy leather. Does that mean I should get rid of all the leather products that I already own?

This is a tough question because, on the one hand, you don’t want to send a silent message that these products are acceptable by wearing them. On the other hand, not all of us have the luxury of being able to throw out lots of our old clothes in order to buy an entirely new (cruelty-free) wardrobe! If you can do so, we recommend throwing the shoes away or donating them to PETA (for use in protests) and replacing them with leather-free products. If it is impossible for you to buy nonleather shoes right now, explain to people that while you refuse to finance the meat and leather industries with any further purchases, the money that paid for the leather on your feet is already spent, and when those leather shoes wear out, you’ll replace them with ones made from non-animal materials.

Click here to view our “Guide to Compassionate Clothing”.