Have you ever found yourself in a passionate moment of bondage and spanking, only to look down at your lover’s gloriously red backside and realize with dismay that while striking your lover’s flesh with your favorite flogger, you were, in fact, using an animal product that you’ve otherwise cut out of your life?
It’s an age-old question for the conscientious: How can you dish out the appropriate amounts of loving cruelty to your partner, without contributing to animal cruelty?
The answer can be found at VeganErotica.com.
This wonderful website offers “passion for the compassionate” through the sale of adult toys that are made out of Lorica instead of leather. From a cute little 9-Talon black collar ($24) to a luxuriant Cat o’ Nine Tails ($48), they have all of your bondage and bedroom needs covered.
Vegan leather, or Lorica, is an imported synthetic leather from Italy and is more versatile than animal hide. With a chemical composition of 50% polyamide microfiber and 50% polyurethane, it’s breathable, water repellent, and machine washable (a wonderful feature for the messier Doms and, oh-joy, something to add to the laundry pile for the subs). It is also resistant to tearing and splitting. Many of the reviewers of the products speak to the fact that their Lorica cuffs and other bondage tools are far more comfortable than actual leather.
At VeganErotica.com, shoppers can choose from stylish Slappers for $17, Dildo Harnesses ($27 to $33), Full Body Harnesses ($99), O Ring Gags ($19), and much more. Most of the products are available in black, white, red, and blue.
Camilla Taylor is the owner of VeganErotica.com, and hand crafts everything on the site. Camilla is dedicated to veganism and sex positive politics, and she’s constantly designing new items for the shop. “By creating cruelty-free fashions that look, feel and act like leather, we appeal to people who want the look of leather but don't want the animals to suffer for their fashion or fetish, in addition to the people who simply appreciate a quality product at a reasonable price regardless of ethics. Many fetish and leather goods are made in large factories by workers who are paid a low wage. Everything at Vegan Erotica is made by Camilla, nearly all emails are answered by Camilla, and she pays herself a reasonable wage without negatively affecting the cost of the product, or compromising on quality.” (www.VeganErotica.com)
Thanks to this wonderful site, you can now strap your lover down and punish him or her with a clear conscience.
Originally published January 2009