Hobson's choice

[george7]

I'm not making an argument against leather, but if you are one who prefers a more 'vegan' lifestyle, making something from natural fibers is another good option.

[DWFII]

I'm not making an argument against leather, but if you are one who prefers a more 'vegan' lifestyle, making something from natural fibers is another good option.

I have no problem with "vegan" lifestyles...or any choice differing from my own. I do think that to make a choice...any choice...a person needs to be informed, even if it means actively pursuing information. A person needs to make a choice with some deliberation, in other words--think it through and not just subscribe because it sounds good or is politically or philosophically in vogue.

Choosing not to use leather for moral or ethical reasons is no one's business but your own...especially if you recognize the implications in that choice.

But for me...and perhaps only for me...there would be a certain "awkwardness" in deciding to be vegan and then pursuing a substitute for leather--for all the reasons outlined in the original post.

Beyond that, "making something from natural fibers" is indeed a good option. But natural fibers--in the sense of canvas or linen or hemp (leather is actually a fibrous product, as well)--are, at bottom, not the same as leather. None of those "natural fibers"...as good and as useful as they may be...even come close to having the characteristics that have made leather such an enduring and premium product over the thousands and thousands of years it has been in use.