The future of fashion is animal-free: UGG launches its first-ever sheep-free UGG boots
The brand has long faced criticism over its use of sheepskin for its infamous UGG boots, but now a new animal-free version could signal a more compassionate direction ahead.
The Classic Mini shoes in dark blue floral. Credit: UGG
UGG has announced the release of its first-ever animal-free UGG boots.
The divisive footwear brand is known worldwide thanks to its love-them-or-hate-them “ugly” shoes which were originally designed to be worn post-surf but later became popular to wear in everyday settings.
However, the brand has courted controversy for many years for its widespread use of sheepskin to line its classic UGG boots.
Animal rights groups say that farming sheep to produce sheepskin and wool causes cruelty and suffering to sheep. As well as sheepskin which requires the animal to be slaughtered, sourcing wool has also been linked to animal cruelty with undercover investigations into the wool industry showing workers recklessly shearing sheep to meet production targets.
UGG has recently been experimenting with animal-free materials, including a recent line of shoes dubbed the Plant Power Collection which incorporate plant-based and recycled materials but still uses sheepskin lining.
But now as part of a new collaboration with Collina Strada, the brand has finally launched its first-ever vegan UGG boots.
The Classic Mini shoes feature a “luxurious” vegan leather which is said to give the appearance of animal leather, but it’s made from combining a plant-based finish to a recycled polyester microfibre backer. The shoes are available in a dark blue floral - a bold and garish design choice in keeping with UGG’s polarizing but trendy “ugly” fashion.
The shoes also feature a snug faux-fur lining made from a material known as TENCEL. The material is a soft, smooth Lyocell fiber that’s made from sustainably sourced wood.
Collina Strada describes the vegan collection, which also includes ruffle boots and mini platforms, as having an “eco-friendly production with low carbon footprint”.
Pictured - UGG's original sheepskin boots.
“UGG’s new vegan boots are a step in the right direction that will help spare gentle sheep being pinned down and often cut and hit so that humans can steal the wool that belongs to them,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is celebrating this victory for sheep and urging UGG to give wool the boot by making all its footwear animal-friendly.”
The animal rights group has been urging UGG to switch to vegan materials for several years. PETA’s relentless campaigning has included purchasing stock in UGG’s parent company, more than 30,000 e-mails to the company from PETA’s supporters, and a “heartfelt plea” from celebrity campaigner and PETA Honorary Director Pamela Anderson.
Is wool production cruel?
Wool production is often mistaken as “harmless” for the animal. However, while shearing a sheep can be done in a safe manner, shearers are often paid by volume - not by the hour - which incentivizes them to work recklessly.
As a result sheep are often left bloodied and in pain, says PETA, which uncovered cruelty to sheep at over 100 wool-industry providers as part of a worldwide investigation into the wool trade. Even on self-proclaimed “responsible” farms, shearers were documented punching, stomping on, and kicking sheep.
Sheep farms can also use painful rearing practises including castration, and tail docking - where the sheep’s tail is cut off without painkillers.
UGG made a presumed acknowledgement to industry cruelty claims last year, when the brand removed claims from its website that assured customers that the animals whose skin and wool were used for its products were treated humanely, following a cease and desist letter from PETA.
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