5 Cruelty Free Snow Outfits for this Ski Season

Well, it’s officially time to hit the slopes! The seasons have turned, and although I have to admit that winter is definitely my least favourite time of year, the one thing I’ve been looking forward to is going skiing. I’ve been lucky enough to spend a bit of time on the slopes over the past few years – I normally spend an annual weekend at the Snowies, but earlier this year I spent an incredible 10 days in America, which was a huge turning point for me and my somewhat amateur skills. During that trip, skiing went from being something I thought I should do, to something I wanted to do. 

For many people, a big part of the snow season is the fashun (and of course the après ski). Yet for those more interested in pursuing an ethical lifestyle, skiing can be a hassle. Most of your typical ski gear is made of leather, fur or down. Whilst I appreciate that these materials make warm and cosy ski clothes, I’m not going to pretend that’s a good enough reason to be using these products.

I have sourced a list of 6 brands that make vegan and cruelty free winter ski gear. I’m obsessed with each and every single one of these brands - all of them are carving out their own unique niche and pouring resources into a market that, until recently, was extremely lacking. The best thing? You get to look spectacular and hit the slopes guilt free!

1. Save the Duck – This brand was made famous for their animal-free down. They use Plumtech padding technology to make their clothes cosy and warm. They also have a collection made from recycled materials! Fun fact: The first vegan to summit Mount Everest, Dean Maher, wore a summit suit designed by Save the Duck. Unfortunately, in Australia you can’t buy directly from their site, but there are quite a few third party retailers like Fashion Lane or Atterley who you can use to stock up. 

2. Picture Organic – This brand stands out to me because of their epic and innovative website design. They have an entire page devoted to sustainable development, which walks you through their organic, eco designs and talks about their utilisation of 50 plastic bottles to make their polyester jackets. Picture Organic is a brand that creates recycled and bio-sourced products for snowboarding, skiing, surfing and the outdoors. Being a French brand, they only deliver direct to France, however you can purchase their products online via SurfDome.

3. Wuxly - Wuxly Movement is a progressive Canadian brand. The brand was started based on a love of wildlife and they are proudly animal-free throughout the entire production process.  Wuxly utilise leading fabrics to promote physical movement in any condition. This brand has 3 core principles – commitment to animals, fair labour and sustainability - 3 values that are extremely dear to my heart. An added bonus? Wuxly ships directly, worldwide!

4. Noize – I would say Noize is more of a fashion brand than a skiwear brand, but their winter stock is versatile enough to act as both. They develop a unique collection each season with a focus on high-quality faux fur and vegan leather accents. I love their pieces – they all make a bold statements and embrace warm, fashionable winterwear. With over 50 million animals violently killed for fur each year, Noize puts forward the argument that, with the technology we have, the choice between ethics and fashion is no longer an issue.

5. Patagonia – Patagonia have released an awesome cruelty free range. The best thing about this brand is that it’s so accessible, with stores all over the world. Similarly to Save the Duck, Patagonia is using revolutionary PlumaFill insulation that replicates the structure of down in a synthetic insulation material, offering the warmth and packability of down but with the waterproof performance of synthetic insulation. My favourite thing about this company is that they give 10% of their pre-tax profits to environmental groups and are committed to using their business to have a positive impact on the planet.