Animal Utopia is out now!
You’ve probably heard of Hartmut Kiewert by now and seen his pictures for example the artwork of the documentary The End of Meat. Hartmut is Germany’s first vegan painter. He uses completely animal-free materials, and through his large-format paintings he visualises what a world without animal exploitation might look like. In these imagined realities, humans and former farm animals meet face to face in shopping centres and cafés, perhaps sharing a picnic blanket or living room sofa as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Kiewert’s utopian imagery provides an introduction to a controversial topic, inviting people to interact with animals in a new way, with empathy, and without pointing fingers or depicting brutal slaughterhouse scenes. Explanatory notes by art historian Jessica Ullrich and philosopher Hilal Sezgin provide context, embedding Kiewert’s work within a broader understanding of art history and current socio-political discourse.
Clothing that will keep you warm
In the last weeks we weren’t just sitting around scratching ourselves. We added new items to our clothing range such as Freedom hooded jackets with a fluffy lining – one of the best things that could happen to you in winter. Trust me. We also added new T-shirts and shirts.
Beanies? Beanies!
For a long time we wanted to silk-screen beanies that are organic and fair trade. Finally our wish came true!
Testrun: new gymbags and tote bags
In case you wonder why VGN-bags, VGN-gymbags and Fist-Paw-Star-gymbags are a bit more expensive than the other bags. The reason is simple: We used other bags that are in a better quality. The fabric is thicker and the handles are of higher quality. See it for yourself! And let us know what you think.
Pineapple-shoes?
How about a shoe with an upper made of pineapples, at least partly? Yeah, we are keen on it, especially because the material, so-called Pinatex, is bio-degradable. If this makes you curious check out the Pineapple Supreme.
Calenders and organizers – 2018 is approaching
Our collection of calenders and organizers is complete now. On the one hand, there is a wall calender with animals from the animal sanctuary Erdlingshof. Most of the proceeds will go to Erdlingshof. On the other hand, we have the terrific Slingshot organizers again!
Recommended reading
There are some new English books again … Let’s start with What A Fish knows. It’s an insightful piece that will forever change how we see our aquatic cousins, the goldfish included. Our second recommendation is: books by the philosopher-acitivst Lisa Kemmerer who writes about intersections between feminism and animal rights, environmental movement and animal rights movement.
Fun with fair trade condoms
Last piece of good news: Fair trade and vegan condoms! We added three sorts of Fair Squared to the shop: Original, Sensitive Dry and Ultra Thin. The condoms are made of fair trade material and they are vegan certified.
And last but not least: more latex-free condoms!