Brand Halts Leather Line in Favor of Vegan Bag Collection

Handbag company Hayden-Harnett—previously known for its leather collections—has decided to instead launch vegan line Hayden by Hayden-Harnett for spring 2017. The company partnered with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to develop its new vegan line that will feature a stitched-on PETA-approved logo. “Companies using the logo know that demand for animal-free materials is on the rise and that consumers are looking for ways to help animals—and there is no better way than to buy a product for which no animals had to suffer,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said. The new line will be designed, manufactured, and distributed by parent company and accessories corporation AHQ. Recently, companies such as shoemaker Vagabond—which released its Non-Animal Collection last spring—have chosen to forgo traditional animal product-based materials in favor of vegan fabrics due to increasing demand for cruelty-free fashion options.