More durable and stylish than the finest Italian leather, these bold bands satisfy the styles of both men and women, vegans or omnivores, and keep up your pants, too.
Toronto-based company Truth Belts is owned by designer Renia Pruchnicki, who launched her very first belt designs back in 2001. Right from the get-go, Renia began with materials she was familiar with – and left the leather alone.
Lo’ and behold, her belts soon grew with popularity, and her reputation spread – and so did her product line.
Among her offerings are two categories of belts: Virtue and Vice. True to their names, the Virtue line aren’t leather look-a-likes and made with sustainable materials such as jute and hemp. The Vice belts are conscious clones that look and feel like leather itself – but made with polyurethane instead.
Their newest addition to their Vice belt line is the Angus belt. Built for both men and women, it’s slick enough for a suit, but casual enough for weekend wear.
Ecoki was given the opportunity to put the Angus to the test. We received the rich chocolate brown (it also comes in black), and the belt lives up to the leather-like name: alongside real leather belts, it was difficult to see a difference between the two versions.
It has a bit of a shine – not too much to make it flashy but just enough to give it some sheen – and doesn’t have that stiff, immovable feeling of a new purchase. And comparable to cheaper belts bought at your favourite retail stores? It doesn’t threaten to crack after a little wear and tear.
Two specific things we like most are the stitch size and the buckle. Having had belts in the past that have lost their stitching, we applauded their detail put into the manufacturing process, and the durability of the satin nickle buckle outshines many others in its high-quality design. (We also think that you could smash it against a window as a quick escape route, if ever need be. It’ll do the job just fine.)
“Truth” be told, It’s no surprise that Truth was named the “Best Leather Replacement Clothing Company in North America by Peta. With all of their other awesome duds – cuffs, tees, and necklaces – we think so, too.
The Angus
from Truth Belts (www.truthbelts.com)
Width = 28 mm / 1 1/8”
100% polyurethane
Available in sizes S-XL
$45.00 US / $45.00 CAN
Available from vegetarianbelts.com
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