Warmth Without Wool: Vegan Winter Outerwear
Rapanui (Isle of Wight) is the best company to find organic cotton jumpers, which are made so well, they are as thick as wool, ideal for walking and by the coast. For other items containing recycled polyester, launder a in microfiber filter.
Out walking, follow the Countryside Code, to keep all creatures safe (keep dogs away from steep banks and pet-toxic flowers and trees). At the coast, know how to keep dogs safe by the seaside (check beach bans before travel).
Rapanui makes nice organic cotton thick jumpers for men and women which hare just as warm as wool, and ideal for winter walks or strolls along the beach. Designed on the Isle of Wight!
Everything is made with green energy and sent in zero waste packaging.
Heavy Knit Organic Cotton Jumper
This heavy knit organic cotton jumper is very simple and stylish, available in several colours. Organic cotton is good for the planet, and also means items can be safely laundered in the machine, without releasing microplastics into the sea from washing machines.
The relaxed fit features a chunky cosy knit, designed to keep you warm on England’s chilly days. The jumper has a round neck with regular fit, and the body and sleeves are slightly longer for a relaxed vintage look.
Hand-wash softly or use the sensitive program of your machine with eco laundry powder. Dry and store flat, don’t hang on hangers, as knits might lose shape.
An organic cotton beanie (to help animals)
This organic beanie is from Freedom for Animals, with profits helping to support their work helping bored and abused animals in zoos and circuses. And at end of life, it safely biodegrades back to the earth, leaving no trace behind. It’s even softer on skin, so ideal for people with eczema or psoriasis.
We all know that you lost most heat from your head, so if you’re out and about in England’s chillier seasons, it’s important to invest in a good hat. However most hats are made from acrylic (synthetic materials) that are not that warm, and leach microplastics in washing machines, when laundering.
Avoid overheating clothes for babies
The Lullaby Trust says that hats (and outdoor layers like socks and cardigans) should be removed when moving indoors or into a warm car, to prevent overheating (babies regulate temperature through their heads, and keeping them covered inside risks making them too hot).
15°C–16°C) to keep them warm.
Read more on dressing babies safely (and sleeping arrangements) to avoid over-heating, to help prevent SIDS.
Curious why vegans don’t wear wool?
Although most sheep need shearing to avoid over-heating (and be able to see predators), some sheep are sheared too early (leading to hypothermia) and others suffer ‘mulesling’ (having chunks of skin sliced away to prevent flystrike, without painkillers).
And many sheep are killed, when they get older and their wool production slows down). If you wear wool, choose companies that don’t kill the sheep, simply shearing the wool: like vegetarian wool or sheepskins.
Pregnant sheep can sometimes roll over onto their backs, due to pregnancy or rain-soaked wool. And will die, if they can’t get back upright. If you see a sheep on its back, grab a tuft of wool and firmly right it back, then stay with it, until rain has drained off.
