Design your own fashionable ethical footwear with PETA and Beyond Skin

Calling all budding designers! Animal rights campaigners PETA have joined forces with vegan footwear company Beyond Skin, to launch an exciting design competition. The contest gives aspiring designers the chance to be the creative force behind a vegan and animal friendly shoe design. 

Following in the footsteps of fashion designers including Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Calvin Klein, the competition aims to encourage new designers to start using ethically sourced materials that cause no harm to animals.

Designs are to be submitted in black and white illustrated drawings by 13^th December. The winning style will be produced in faux microfibre suede, faux leather, patent PU, imitation exotic skin or silk-free satin, or possibly a combination of these materials.

Fashion designers can email their shoe designs to PETA for judges PETA and Beyond Skin to narrow the entries down to a top ten. The winning design will be selected by celebrity judge Laura Whitmore and will go into production and be on sale in time for S/S 2014.

“I truly believe that the future of fashion lies in sustainable, cruelty-free materials, and companies like Beyond Skin and organisations like PETA are leading the way in creating awareness,” says Whitmore. 

“I am simply looking for ambitious young designers to put their best vegan foot forward and show me their idea for a new cruelty-free pump, flat, bootie or wedge. This competition is their chance to be a part of the trend towards compassionate fashion,” she added.

Beyond Skin is committed to helping animals and the environment by using only animal-free, recyclable materials in its products. Millions of cows and other animals whose skin is turned into leather endure the horrors of factory farming, including extreme crowding and confinement, disease and deprivation of food and water. 

Sadly the animals are subjected to horrific acts such as branding, tail docking, dehorning and castration, which are often performed without any anaesthetic. At abattoirs, improper stunning means that many animals are skinned while they’re still conscious.

The good news is that we can do something to help by demanding animal friendly fashion. More and more designers and high-street stores such as Topshop and H&M are recognising this and beginning to offer customers shoes, bags, purses and belts made from modern, high-quality synthetics that are inexpensive and don’t touch a hair on an animal’s head.

Hollie Bracciale

To find out more about the competition visit PETA’s website. All designs need to be emailed to contest@peta.org.uk by 13^th December 2013.