Votch: Skin is Skin
During the months the creator of Votch Watches spent bedridden suffering from a condition called Tropical Steroid Withdrawal she absorbed hours of documentaries focusing on animal welfare. She became aware of the horrific fur and animal skin industries and made the decision to not be responsible for wearing someone elses' skin. Part of the condition she was suffering from actually makes your skin fall off and it made her realise how important skin is and that we are all living beings.As she recovered she decided to create something that aligned with her passion for animal welfare, so when an old watch strap broke and she struggled to find a vegan leather replacement, the idea of Votch was born.
Votch uses knitted cotton microfibre and Green PU to create simple but smart and stylish watch straps that are eco-friendly All straps comply with REACH and ROHS meaning no harmful chemicals are used. The watches themselves are made from high quality 316L stainless steel, using Japanese movements and modern stylish brushed exteriors in a range colours. Votch take pride in the planning of their range and have new designs that will be available in Spring 2017.
We asked Votch why they think making a different is important, here is what they said:
Our society is based on the whole fast fashion notion, and seldom do we consider what its behind that £20 ‘real leather bag’. Every year over a billion animals are slaughtered for leather and some of the largest exporters are from countries where there are little to no animals welfare laws. People often presume leather is just a byproduct of the meat and dairy industry, but this is not the case, and often it’s not just cows that are slaughtered for their skins, it can be cats, dogs and other species.It is not just the animals we’re harming,in some countries the conditions of tanneries are so toxic,not only to the people working in them, but also their surrounding environment, where chemicals get in to the water supply which people wash and drink from. I also find it particularly alarming that as a society, we’re largely quick to shun fur, but leather is deemed acceptable. This makes no sense to me now, skin is skin. So we try to make the difference to show people that you can go cruelty free without sacrificing anything There are plenty of other alternatives and options out there.
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