Yes, velour is vegan. It is not made from animal products, considered cruelty-free, and is suitable for a vegan lifestyle.
It is typically made from cotton or polyester, neither of which is an animal-derived fabric. Velour made from organic cotton has the additional benefit of being sustainable.
What Is Velour?
Velour is a dense fabric that is meant to look and feel like traditional velvet (which is made from silk and is often referred to as vegan velvet.
The most common form is cotton velour, but you may also see polyester velour or rayon velour.
How Is Velour Different From Velvet?
Like velvet, velour is soft, warm, and has a luxurious look and feel, but because it isn’t made of silk, it does not use inhumane or cruel practices to create the materials.
Velour is typically cheaper than traditional velvet, because it is made from less expensive materials.
Of course, it isn’t perfect – non-organic cotton and polyester can be bad for the environment – but velour made from organic cotton is both sustainable and cruelty-free.
How is Velour Made?
Velour is made using a similar method to velvet. A special sewing process on the cotton fabric weaves tightly-packed looped threads all over the surface.
These looped threads are then cut in half to create the fuzzy surface that velour has.
Normally the velour will be dyed before it is made into clothes or used on furniture.
Most fabric dyes are synthetic, but you will need to use the label to guide you on this.
Animal-derived dyes such as cochineal (red) and murex snail (purple) are still used in some countries.
Is Velour Sustainable?
Velour is sustainable when it is made out of organic cotton. This means that the cotton grown does not use pesticides, does not cause deforestation, and uses rainwater only.
If put in the trash, it will likely break down naturally in as little as 4-20 weeks.
Non-organic cotton is less sustainable and is linked with excess pesticide and water use, while polyester is a plastic, and so uses petroleum, so it is not recommended to use these.
Is Velour Vegan?
Yes, velour does not contain animal products and is a great-looking and fashionable vegan fabric.
We recommend aiming for organic cotton velour since this ensures that the cotton is grown and managed in a sustainable manner that will not damage the environment.
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