Kristen,

It's a great question. I have a similar issue because I still own a leather wallet and leather belt purchased many years before I went vegan. Now, I could replace these items fairly easily, however, I run-up against the same question you're asking: Am I morally obligated to do so?

The answer, I think, is no because the industries that cause harm, which morality concerns itself, are not propogated by my use of a ten year old wallet. This is why I can still call myself vegan because I don't participate in these unjust institutions. However, this might not be true, indirectly, through ideology.

Continuing to wear my leather belt does imply the (moral) acceptability of the practice. This lends itself to further calcifying the paradigm we seek to change. This assumes, of course, that people see my leather belt or leather wallet, understand that they are leather, and connect the conceptual dots, which probably isn't true but let's assume it is. 

It also suggests a conflict in our own worldview: I'm anti-slavery but for pragmatic reasons I'm rather slow to rid myself of the evidence that I once owned chattel and directly participated in the institution.  

My conclusion then is this. Given ours is a world of finite resources, honest pragmatism must be operative; however, there does seem to be a conflict in our situations Kristen. Therefore, the slow replacing of these items seems to be required and pragmatically sound. But you are still a vegan.

@Kristen: There's no solid answer to that question, but most people will probably answer and say that yes, you are (still) a vegan. I call myself a vegan, and I do have a wool blend cardigan hanging out in my closet. I wear it like crazy in the fall and winter and spend my money on other things that I need more (new non-wool blankies for my horses, for example). When it dies (or when I'm not broke!), I will replace it with a new one made from cotton. 

99% of vegans will tell you they did the same. There are posts about replacing your current products with vegan ones in a systematic manner somewhere on this blog. I think the general rule of thumb is replace what you can, when you can. Somethings, like cleaning products, I replaced before they ran out because of the damage they cause to the environment (and thus animals). 

I feel like wool is one of these things that even people who are vegan (especially new vegans) have a greater tendency to ignore. I know my family members are very confused by it, despite my explanations. It is too bad the makers of this sculpture didn't do their research before making it - provided their aim was actually to make us think about human animal/non-human animal relations. Or maybe it says more about the intended topic that they used felt....

Thanks Jen and Alex! I do own a coach purse (which was a graduation gift from an Aunt a few years ago) and when I wear it I feel like I can't advocate for veganism because I would be quite the hypocrite doing so, again with my pea coats I wear in the wintertime. So a huge part of me just wants to dump everything I own that is made out of animals but on the other hand I am a huge environmentalist and buying new stuff before old stuff breaks isn't good either, not to mention for most of us it is not a financially available option. But it is good to know that other vegans won't shun me for still wearing my old pea coats and purse.

That cow was sacrificed for the garment. Don't throw that cow away now. Just explain to people that you are an evolving vegan who believes first and foremost in veganism and all that entails but there is also the respect for the (miserable) life that bore the wallet/purse or sweater.

You can decrease your "footprint by educating people who need info or may doubt your sincerity. Anyway, that is what I do but am open to new ideas.

A few years ago I was protesting with my friends at a rodeo, and wearing my long-ago-purchased leather Topsiders. A clever cowboy asked me why I had them on. I said, with a big smile, that I bought them in the "Dark Ages" and am now in the "Age of Enlightenment," animal-wise. I also told him that I am not wasteful, and that throwing the shoes away after my awakening wouldn't bring the poor steer (or cow) back to life. He had no comeback.

When the rodeo came to town in succeeding years, however, I wore my Crocs!

Good answer, Olivia.  I don't have an ideological problem using certain things that I had since before going vegan, or that are hand-me-downs.  But I do get the "Aren't those leather shoes?" comments from the "meat-eating leather police" once in a while.  The pair I wear were my daughters' shoes from junior high, and probably should have been thrown out years ago.  I do have a feather bed that I bought in Switzerland back in 1974.  I still use it.

Remind me about my attic.

But the thing that bothered me worst was what to do with the meat in my freezer when I went veg.  I did trade most of what I had with my brother since he came over to fix a leaky faucet.  But I had a box of boneless skinless chicken breasts that were marginally out-of-date, and he didn't want them. So they sat in there until they were really out of date.  I was torn between throwing them out and holding a funeral service in the back yard.  But I'm pretty sure one of my vegan friends absolved me and said it would be OK to throw them away.

The attic!  Well.  What to do with the mother's or the grandmother's fur coat?  Luckily, I haven't seen them, and think they were donated long ago.  But what I do see on occasion is something that made my daughter scream.  It is one of those mink things (smaller than a mink) that some ladies used to have on their fur coats, like over the shoulder, with a head, feet and tail.  I just came across it again today when I was going through stuff in the attic.  I left it in the plastic bag it was in the last time we happened upon it.  I still don't know what to do with it.  I'm afraid if I put it in a donation box, whoever opens the box will scream too.

My bottom line is that I will use the old stuff.  But if I'm going to be out somewhere where I think someone will make an issue out of something I'm wearing, I'll be sure to dress accordingly -- or I'll try to remember to tell them what Olivia did.

I was going to throw out some nonvegan items that I'd had for years and weren't in great shape. I didn't want to give them to anyone because that seemed insulting or something.

My housekeeper took them out of the garbage and said, "For me? I wouldn't wear these because they are worn out/not perfect. But for the people from my church [many of whom are migrant workers] who have no shoes/warm clothing, it's like Christmas!" Naturally, I promptly filled her car with clothing and shoes--even nonanimal items. My point is that there is always someone who actually *needs* the things you have and can replace with vegan items. This way you aren't buying things unnecessarily, and someone gets something they need.

I know PETA is in the proverbial dog-house right now, but during the recent presidential inauguration, they had an ingenious campaign where they encouraged people to pledge to go fur free - and donate their old fur coats to the homeless of DC. It was one of the best ideas I'd ever seen, a way to get rid of the cruelty in your wardrobe, and help another animal who really needs it. The people getting the fur are not people who would ever buy it, and it gave PETA a much needed boost of love from the local community. 

Great point Stephanie, and I really like the comments. In response to what Sue said, I personally wouldn't accept "hand-me-downs" today if they were leather, wool, etc., but I do understand about not throwing out clothes that you otherwise CAN'T replace because of monetary limits.

Kristen, the only thing I would add to this discussion is about, as someone else put it, the "meat-eating leather police", who will scold you for wearing animal skins while professing to be vegan. They're always looking for ways to ridicule us, and I hope if that day ever comes you're able to handle it with grace and not feel guilty.

Interesting points, Stephanie, that people don't see the irony in making a giant whale literally off the backs of another animal.  

@ Kristen - it is hard to decide where to draw the line.  I have several leather items that I just don't have the funds to replace all at once!  So, rather than throw out the leather I have, I try to remind myself that the animals did not sacrifice themselves for my comfort, they were robbed.  And I try to appreciated this sad fact.

Frankly, I think waste is a sin.  Remember that an animal died for that product that you're using.  Although you purchased it years ago, before you were "enlightened," throwing it away now does not negate the fact that an animal was sacrificed for it.  In my humble opinion, throwing it away now would just be further insult to that animal as well as adding to the disgusting waste that Westerners are regularly responsible for.  Use it until it cannot be used anymore and then replace it with something eco- and animal-friendly.

I used to feel the same way about discarding my non-vegan items, until a friend pointed out how differently we would feel if we had, say, a human-skin lampshade left-over from the Holocaust. Would we use it until it wore out? I doubt it. I think we would be utterly repulsed by it.

I used to wear leather, wool and even a bone-carving around my neck and call myself a vegan. I'll never forget the first time (during a debate) that I was able to answer that old question, "But aren't those leather shoes you're wearing?" with a proud 'No, they're not."

I also buy all my clothes second-hand, as I am opposed to asking the planet to create new items for me to use.

Great insight again Stephanie.  It's interesting how people have to be educated to the fact that sardines, spiders, flies, minnows, birds etc. have as much right to survival as do us human animals. 
The Buddists can teach people exactly how this works, but most aren't listening.   

To change the subject slightly, I am attending a Flea Market in a small town in Maine, next sunday will be the very last time I do so. Please bear with me. The comments I receive at this place due to a President Obama calendar (on my table) have appalled and angered me.  The correllation is this;  the individuals making these comments are hunters, and have antlers, dead stuffed animals etc. on their tables.  Naturally I have become a veritable pariah and have been "branded" accordingly.  Irony and hypocrisy abound.  But brains and thought, the very established products we are supposed to possess above all other life appears diminished and disappearing.  We are indeed in much more trouble than I ever had imagined.

This topic is related (obliquely?) to the disconnect and "schizoid quality" (Peter Singer) in our relationship with animals. I know veterinarians and shelter workers, people that run rescues, and eat animals. Such people have not made the connection. I am tempted to believe many are just too stupid. I think it was George Carlin who said something like, "Think about how stupid the average guy out there is. Well, half of them are dumber than that!" I don't know how else to explain it other than plain stupidity.

I am not a vegan, so I am aware that my frame of reference differs from most of yours.  However, is wool really that big of a problem?  For years now I have been buying wool from a local farmer which I then spin into yarn and weave into scarves and belts.  Is there any way to know if the sheep have been mulesed? 

Wool is a naturally occurring material.  Any pea coat made out of something other than wool probably contains polyester or some other artificial substance.  Isn't it likely that this contributes greatly to our issues of pollution?  Polyester does not decompose like wool, and therefore outlives most of us in landfills. 

Plant products just can't compare with wool when it comes to being flexible weaving materials.  I have tried cotton, flax, and synthetic materials, but none have the right look or feel.  Can wool from locally raised sheep really be the greater evil?

I got rid of all my leather and stuff because I don't want to be seen in it, and it feels creepy too. I also found an artificial cat in the house someone had given me that appeared to be made with real fur - quite creepy.

thank you thank you all...this conversation just took place with my dad.  having donated leather coats and sweaters with fur already to the local clothes closet where everything is free for the taking i decided to do the same with almost all the leather shoes.  hopefully this winter i will find sub zero boots without fur and leather than my tribulation will be over  (in storage is grannies fox wrap that is still to be decided on)