“The Captain” belt by The Vegan Collection

When I discussed starting this blog with a few of my pals, somebody said they’d like to learn more about vegan belts.  So, I’ll pander to my base, in the hopes that this will get more regular readers!

So, you’re looking for vegan belts, eh?  That’s good, because leather is cruel, and should be avoided.  To start, it is actually fairly easy to find vegan belts if you do a little leg work.  You can spend a few hours in a mall and find many pleather, canvas, and hemp belts.  But, of course, none of these belts will give you the professional, well-dressed look.  For that, we turn to “The Captain” by The Vegan Collection.  When I first went veg, I picked up both a brown and black Captain, as that should cover my bases for casual and formal dress.

 

The Captain

The Captain is actually pitched as a staple unisex belt – it can be worn with business or casual wear.  This, I find, is true: the belt works equally as well with my suits, my pants-and-sports-coat ensemble, and jeans and a tshirt.  The belt has a really nice leathery look to it: that sort of off-shine look that comes with leather.  It can’t really be picked out as pleather from a distance, which is really nice.  The buckle is a nice brushed metal, and it isn’t too heavy at all.  The belt has a really nice look to it, that’s for sure.

Functionally, yep, it keeps my pants up, no problem.  It isn’t too heavy. There’s really fine stiching on the belt, and it’s quite well done.  I’ve actually gone through two sets of The Captain – I bought the black and brown ones when I initially went vegan, but as will happen when one goes vegan, I dropped like ten pounds, so I needed new belts, and I got The Captain in the smaller size.  That should be an endorsement, if nothing else.

But, I’d like to get to the drawback.  If you get this belt, be prepared for wear-and-tear to show.  My black Captain, which I wore more frequently, had the loop snap off after about fourteen months (which isn’t that bad, I suppose).  I was able to get it repaired, so no real issue, all things considered.  My real issue is that whatever the belt is made of chafes against the metal of the buckle, and pulls apart.  As you can see below, the belt took some damage – but to be sure, this is after about eighteen months of wearing the belt daily.

Regular wear and tear makes it a bit unsightly

This said, the belt retails for $26 USD, so getting 18 months or so out of the belt really isn’t that bad at that price.  The belt is still functional but I’d be hesitant to wear it with a suit to a real formal event at this point.   I still use either my brown or black Captain daily – for work, or just to hold up my jeans as I schlep around the house.

Verdict: 4.5 / 5, excellent daily belt.

tl;dr: fantastic every day vegan belt that can be worn formally or casually, watch out for regular wear and tear after 18 months.

Until next time, be kind to animals.