Humans Of Bombay CEO Karishma Mehta Ditches Luxury Leather Goods in Embrace of Cruelty-Free Fashion

Karishma Mehta, the founder and CEO of Humans of Bombay (HOB), has recently made a significant change in her approach to fashion by announcing that she will no longer support the luxury leather goods market. Starting this year, Mehta has decided to sell all the leather items she owns and refrain from purchasing any more leather products. The proceeds from her luxury collection, including high-end brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), and Fendi, will be donated to animal welfare organizations.

Karishma Mehta’s Cruelty-Free Fashion Statement

In an Instagram post shared on Wednesday, Mehta displayed pictures of her luxury shoes and bags, which were all made from leather. In the accompanying caption, she expressed her reasons for parting with her high-end leather collection. Mehta, a vegetarian, shared her moral stance on the issue: “As a vegetarian, I won’t eat meat because it doesn’t sit right with me to consume a living being. How then can it sit well with me to partake in a market that prides itself on being ‘luxury’ by levying their premium-ness on the quality of animal being skinned?”

Her decision comes as part of a larger shift towards cruelty-free living, aligning her values with her purchasing decisions. She explained that her move is rooted in her desire to live more in harmony with her ethical beliefs, especially when it comes to animal welfare.

Humans of Bombay: A Platform for Storytelling

Karishma Mehta is well-known for her work with Humans of Bombay, an online storytelling platform she founded in 2014. The platform, which has gained a massive following with over 2.8 million followers on Instagram, is dedicated to sharing personal stories from people from all walks of life. Mehta has also interviewed prominent personalities, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Ratan Tata, giving her platform an international appeal.

However, HOB’s journey hasn’t been without controversy. Last year, Mehta found herself at the center of a dispute with Brandon Stanton, the founder of Humans of New York (HONY). Stanton accused HOB of copying the format of his platform after HOB filed a copyright infringement case against another online storytelling platform, People of India (POI).

In response, HOB released an open letter addressing Stanton’s remarks, asserting that his accusations were an “assault on our efforts to protect our intellectual property.” Despite the tension, Mehta made it clear that HOB had always credited HONY for inspiring their platform. She wrote in a separate post, “…we have been inspired by HONY, and we will always be grateful to them for showing us what storytelling can do for a community.”

Mehta’s move to stop buying leather and sell her collection is a part of a growing trend toward more ethical consumption, particularly in the fashion industry. As a highly influential figure, her decision to embrace cruelty-free fashion sends a strong message to her followers and the public. It demonstrates her commitment to aligning her personal values with her actions, promoting a more sustainable and humane approach to fashion.