As a lecturer on a BA Footwear Design course, I increasingly recognise that students’ relationships with fashion and materials are shaped through intersecting identities, beliefs and lived experiences.
Vegan and Vegetarianism
After reading the article A ‘Life-Style Choice’ or a Philosophical Belief?: The Argument for Veganism and Vegetarianism to be a Protected Philosophical Belief and the Position in England and Wales by Paul McKeown and Rachel Ann Dunn (2021), it became apparent to me that veganism and vegetarianism should also be considered within discussions of inclusion and identity. The authors argue that ethical veganism and some forms of vegetarianism should be understood as protected philosophical beliefs rather than simply “lifestyle choices.” This is a significant difference since the former is protected under the Equality Act 2010 (The National Archives, 2010).
Leather
This awareness is highly relevant within footwear education, where leather and animal-derived products remain deeply embedded within traditional ideas of luxury, craftsmanship and employability. These values are also reflected within aspects of our course curriculum:
- A recent guest lecture by Rachel Garwood, representing the Worshipful [livery] Company of Curriers. A currier is a specialist in the leather industry who processes hides through cleaning, scraping, stretching and finishing (The Worshipful Company of Curriers, 2026). During the lecture, the benefits of leather were strongly promoted, while concerns around sustainability and ethics were largely dismissed on the basis that leather is considered a by-product of the meat industry.
Lecture by Rachel Garwood highlighting leather as a by-product of the meat-industry
Bikker, D (2026) Supply Chain [Photograph]
- External competition ‘Real Leather, Stay Different’ of which the requirement is to “Create a beautiful, durable design using at least 50% cattle leather by surface area that in design, execution and application, counters the fast fashion cycle and celebrates individual style” (RealLeather, 2026). Participation is optional but encouraged.
Boots by Anna Melegh, winner of the 2022 ‘Real Leather. Stay Different’ Footwear category
Melegh, A (2022) Bin Bag Boots [Photograph] Available at https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/317409/cover (Accessed: 13 May 2026)
Intersectionality
Applying Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989) to the above examples reveals how students may experience these examples differently depending on other aspects of identity. A Muslim or Hindu student who may already feel underrepresented within fashion education may also experience discomfort working with animal materials connected to their ethical or spiritual beliefs. Likewise, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds could face barriers accessing expensive sustainable alternatives to leather, despite wanting to align their work with ethical values. Vegan biomaterials are often marketed as innovative, yet many remain financially inaccessible for students on tighter budgets.
Considerations
Considerations within footwear teaching could therefore include raising awareness of affordable alternatives to animal-based materials, such as self-made bioplastics, recognising and respecting students who may feel uncomfortable using certain products or workshop methods because of their beliefs, and ensuring students are not disadvantaged if they choose to focus on vegan or other belief-informed design approaches in their work.
Overall, intersectionality could help educators understand that veganism and vegetarianism are not simply “Life-Style Choices”, but connected to culture, belief, identity and experiences of inequality. Within footwear education, this awareness can help support more inclusive studio environments where different ethical perspectives and design approaches are respected and valued.
References
Crenshaw, K. (1989) ‘Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: a Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics’, University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), pp. 139–167. Available at: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=uclf (Accessed: 13 May 2026).
McKeown, P. and Dunn, R.A. (2021) ‘A ‘Life-Style Choice’ or a Philosophical Belief?: The Argument for Veganism and Vegetarianism to be a Protected Philosophical Belief and the Position in England and Wales’, Liverpool Law Review, 42(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10991-020-09273-w. (Accessed: 13 May 2026).
RealLeather (2026) International Student Design Competition 2026. Available at https://rlsd.internationaldesigncomp.com/competition-event/international-2026-competition/ (Accessed: 13 May 2026).
The National Archives (2010). Equality Act 2010. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/10. (Accessed: 13 May 2026).
The Worshipful Company of Curriers (2026) Homepage Available at: https://www.curriers.co.uk/ (Accessed: 13 May 2026).
It was really interesting to read your reflections on the relationship between materials and belief in the context of footwear design. I’d not fully considered this relationship, particularly in the context of such a materials-specific course. I’d be interested to know how conversations with students about material choices go, especially in crits — I’ve heard anecdotally from talking to people on knit courses that there’s a strong ‘anti-plastic’ vibe — something maybe also invoked in the reference to ‘fast fashion’ on the slide that you shared. I thought your discussion of how embedded normative associations of ‘luxury’ with animal products was also really interesting.
I periodically run inflatable-making workshops with different student groups, and a couple of years back was asked by a student about the sustainability of the sculptures, as they’re made from plastic. While I recycle the sculptures, it did really give me pause and made me want to further explore embedding recycling into my practice. Plastic is an amazing material as it’s so cheap and immediate: I often think of these workshops as being accessible because of this, but this immediacy comes with a tradeoff that can also intersect with students’ beliefs.
When students begin responding to a brief, material selection should be one of the first considerations in their design process. In practice, however, students often leave this decision until much later. They tend to focus initially on the overall silhouette or aesthetic, choosing materials primarily because they “look nice.” What we aim to encourage instead is a more considered approach by selecting materials based on functionality, material characteristics, cost, and the values or message the material represents.
This is one of the reasons we updated our “Design Progression Sheet,” the form used to approve designs before students begin making them for submission. The revised version places greater emphasis on material consideration and encourages students to justify their choices earlier in the design process.
I found your discussion of veganism and vegetarianism as protected philosophical beliefs interesting, especially within the context of footwear education where leather is so closely tied to ideas of tradition and luxury. Your use of intersectionality clearly demonstrates how faith, ethics, culture, and socioeconomic background can shape students’ experiences differently within the studio environment. I also thought your point about sustainable alternatives being financially inaccessible was important, as inclusivity is not only about representation but also about access.
Your reflections highlight how curriculum choices and industry partnerships can unintentionally privilege certain values while marginalising others. This made me reflect on how creative education often assumes neutrality in material choices when, in reality, those choices can carry ethical, cultural, and religious implications for students.
How do you think footwear courses could better balance traditional industry expectations with more inclusive and ethically diverse design practices?
Hello Daphne. Really enjoyed this post, and I am curious about your positionality in relation to the topic (I’m vegetarian with attempts towards veganism).
Another PgCert participant (Billie Coxhead) shared something really interesting on this topic. She said that there had been feedback from some student groups that ‘using the whole animal’ is very respectful in their cultures – so they were not in favour of a move towards only vegan materials. I don’t know much about this, but perhaps something to explore? (I know veganism can be criticised for being very white/privileged)