Vegan jeans

[alessioisonfire]

well, i used to buy mine in topman when i lived in england.
now it's h&m, those i have are all without leather patches!

[xrodolfox]

Levi's organic cotton jeans have an organic cotton patch.

[ninearms]

well, i used to buy mine in topman when i lived in england.
now it's h&m, those i have are all without leather patches!

All H&M jeans have leather patches now.

[Man On Bike.]

Howies have now started making a vegan jean since they started sponsoring a vegan skater.

Paul Rimmer (one of our sponsored skaters) is vegan. Whenever we send him jeans he always cuts the leather patch off the back. So we thought we’d design a jean that he could wear without having to modify. We took his favourite cut (our Timber jeans), we made it in the kind of denim he likes (dark heavy duty 14oz organic denim) and we replaced the leather patch with a natural cotton howies patch.

You can put the scissors away now Paul.

http://www.howies.co.uk/product.php/1034/11/

[littlepurplegoth]

M&S don't have leather on them. And if you are size 10 and less (or male equiv) then the H&M organic cotton in the childrenswear ranges don't currently have leather either (although if you are more than 170cm tall you may find the legs a little short).

LPG

[alessioisonfire]

All H&M jeans have leather patches now.

i bought two pairs of divided h&m in the last month and they're patch free.. maybe the l.o.g. collection is different, don't know.

[RAZ]

Lee Jeans don't have patches.

That's news to me. The Lee jeans that I've seen around tend to have patches on them.

This is such a good thread! I've intended to start one like this for ages, but always forget. This is an annoying problem that doesn't get discussed much. I'd wondered if others were also bothered by it and it's comforting to know that it's not an unusual problem!

I always check the patches in much the same way as the advice given earlier in the thread. I feel the patch, smell it, turn over the edges and feel the underside. I think it works, but then again, how the hell am I supposed to know? The stores themselves are never much help.

[Crash]

Oops! My bad. I think I should have recommended Levi's, who reportedly have paper patches.

Confirmed from two different Levi-Strauss customer service representatives:

The thin paper-like label on many Levi jeans is indeed a "Leather-like paper." They also assured me there were no animal products in this paper.

[emm7]

I bought a pair of jeans from Oasis (in UK) which don't have any patches on them so problem solved.

[fredrikw]

I know several brands, Levi's for example, that have different patches on different models, so the best shot is to check out the actual model you're after.

[barnz2k]

looks like its a per pair check then. damn.
Why do they even need these tags?! They could at least put it on the tag for the main jeans where it says what the rest is made out of.

How are the vegans supposed to be able to tell if its real leather or not?!

Will check out some Levis maybe. cheers all

[RAZ]

Why do they even need these tags?!

Denim was originally used in the mines because it was hardwearing and durable. People started to realize this could be utilized and produced other clothing items out of denim, as well as selling the items already used by miners, such as jeans. Because denim was sought after for its strength and durability the companies needed somthing to mark them with to show that they are real quality. Leather was already a symbol of hardwearing, durable quality and so companies began to sew it on to denim products.
This is still evident today, not only with jeans where even non-leather patches are made to look like leather. There are also many synthetic shoes being sold that have a symbol that is similar to the leather symbol shape in order to get some of the rub-off that the leather symbol has with customers. Shoes that are leather are displayed as being such with pride.
Leather is, sadly, a symbol of quality and it's been that way for a long, long time.

[ninearms]

How are the vegans supposed to be able to tell if its real leather or not?!

Come on! It's not remotely difficult. I can spot leather from half a mile away, particularly when it comes to patches on jeans.

[muchluv]

I have been struggling with this issue recently, already had to take one pair back.

Had 3 pairs of jeans I liked in marks and spencers that leather looking patches on the back, so I emailed them and got a reply, and despite me thinking they looked like rubber or some other type of fake leather, they were indeed leather.

Trying to find jeans without leather patches on them is beginning to appear hard enough. Throw in trying to purchase them from a reasonably ethical shop, it is starting to appear impossible.

[xJimx]

After literally 3-4 years of not buying jeans I caved recently & got some from Gap. Not the ideal choice ethically I appreciate but I was getting desperate & they have no patch at all so definitely so leather.

As I'm sure others here know, buying jeans that can accommodate an ample rear end & thighs but which are not stupidly baggy is bloody difficult. Gap's 'authentic' fit seems a good happy medium for me; maybe slightly tight on the thigh when sitting & I've had to go up one size on the waist to get the arse-room required but they look smooth.