Preface: I am not compensated for this review.
In my pursuit of developing Modst Fashn, I realized something.
Although I inspect food ingredients to ensure they are made with halal ingredients, I wondered whether I should also do so with clothing materials. Although not consumed, the animal’s skin still resulted in the animal’s slaughter. And I would rather pay extra to use animal products that I know were slaughtered in a respectful and proper manner (according to Islam). After all, who knows more about justice and what is best for us than our Creator?
So, after considering various clothing items that may contain animal products, it occurred to me…
For the longest time, I have been wearing a belt, yet I never bothered to realize that it is made of leather, which is typically sourced from cow hide [1, 2, 3].
So, as I write this post, I am on a mission to find belts that not only use materials that do not violate the principles of Islam, but also, if possible, find ones that are eco-friendly and supplied by companies that follow moral principles.
Attempt #1: Belts Made from Halal Cow Leather?
I attempted to search for companies that made belts sourced from cows slaughtered in an Islamic manner. However, I could not find one. Let me know if you know of a company that does so.
In the meantime, I sought an alternative…
Attempt #2: Vegan Belts
To find the best vegan belts from the best companies, I started with a list of eight companies….
- Watson and Wolfe
- Corkor
- Matt and Nat
- Ashoka Paris
- Truth Belts
- Elvis and Kresse
- NAE Vegan Shoes
And I narrowed them based on the following criteria:
- Halal Ingredients: Does the product use halal ingredients?
- Eco-friendly: How much does the company value eco-friendly products?
- Company standards: Does the company follow moral principles (that align with Islam)?
- X-factor: What makes the company stand out from the competition?
This left me with the following as the best option:
NAE Vegan Shoes
NAE Vegan, headquartered in Portugal, is a company that specializes in vegan footwear. NAE stands for “No Animal Exploitation,” showing how they care that animals are treated respectfully [8]. Not only that, but they are also a company that values taking care of the environment and having fair labor practices, being transparent with this information.
Environment
- NAE Vegan agrees with and follows the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) [4].
Product Materials [4, 6, 7]
- Use of plant-based materials, such as organic cotton, cork, apple skin, and piñatex.
- While they do use plastic-based materials, such as recycled PET and microfibers, they are transparent about which of their products contain those materials. Not only that, but the microfibers are also OEKO-Tex Standard 100 and OEKO-Tex MADE IN GREEN certified; this means that the microfibers are free from harmful substances, are made with environmentally responsible means, and with companies having worker protections.
Packaging [4]
- Recycled and recyclable cardboard
- Paper tape and natural glue
Shipping [4]
- Partnered with Spring GDS, a shipping company that values minimizing carbon emissions.
- NAE Vegan is partnered with ZeroPact so that, at checkout, you have the option to add $1 that will help offset CO2 emissions through its investment in certified environmental projects inshā’ Allah [9].
Fair Work Conditions [5]
- Fair compensation (51% above minimum wage).
- Prioritize safe work conditions.
- Suppliers are all located in the EU and must follow EU work condition requirements.
Note that NAE Vegan is not a perfect company, with some images that lack modesty and are revealing. So be mindful of your gaze.
Product Review: Challenges
Before I describe the new NAE belt that I am satisfied with, I want to inform you of the challenges that came with the belt’s purchase and delivery.
Challenge #1: Confusing Size Chart
- The size chart got confusing: I believe that they swapped the US and EU columns.
- Even though I normally wear a 34-inch waist, I ordered a US size 38 to be safe. I figured a slightly too large belt was better than too small, since extra holes can be added if needed, inshā’ Allah.
- After receiving the belt, I found that even the lowest hole was not enough for my waist, so I ended up drilling additional holes myself. Based on my experience, I recommend ordering the belt size that actually matches your waist measurement.
- The smallest belt size is US 36. Although, if you still want to use their products, it is possible to own one and drill new holes of your own.
Challenge #2: Customs
- I received an email from FedEx that the package was stopped at customs, and that I needed to verify the address of the manufacturer. I sent FedEx an email with the address of NAE Vegan. Other than that, the package delivery went smoothly, alhamdulilah. I tell you this to keep you informed as to what you may expect from purchasing a belt.
- Here is NAE’s address and contact information: nae-vegan.com/en-us/policies/contact-information
Product Review: My New Belt
I wanted a belt that was reversible, with one black side and one brown side. The Masnou belt best matched this description.
Compared to my old belt, the Masnou is lighter, thinner, and more matte. The brown side is a darker brown compared to the old leather belt.
Overall, I was easily able to replace my old leather belt with this new belt from a company that cares about the environment and fair work conditions. More importantly, I found an alternative belt that I feel comfortable wearing because it does not use leather from improperly slaughtered animals. Al-ḥamdu lillāh.
NAE Vegan have a wide-range of belt styles and colors, varying from $64 to $84, with free US shipping and returns for purchases over $99 and 15% discount for purchases over $300.
If you value owning a belt that avoids the ambiguity of its material’s Islamic permissibility from a company that values the environment and how it treats its workers, consider checking out the belts at NAE Vegan.
As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatu llāhi wa-barakātuh,
Ameen Hanish
If this post helped you, share it with two others, as perhaps Allah will make it a source of benefit in their lives as well. May Allah reward you for every good that comes from it.
Sources
1:https://lfmeab.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/The-Leather-Making-Process.pdf
2: https://www.leathernaturally.org/faqs/
4: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0880/1733/8663/files/NAE_Sustainability_Report.pdf?v=1725314515
5: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0880/1733/8663/files/Work_Ethics.pdf?v=1725314513
6: https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/our-standards/oeko-tex-standard-100/
7: https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/our-standards/oeko-tex-made-in-green/
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