Feathers are so cheap, as byproducts of the meat industry. I doubt if there are any reasonable substitutes for this reason alone.

Feathering fabric is a good idea. What specific kinds of feathers are you talking about - ostrich plumes, etc.?

If you drop by your local zoo maby they will have natural shed feathers(ours will give them free) then you can spend the$$$ you would have spent on a donation to help keep the pets...

I pick up most feathers I see--esp. crow, seagull, which I often find in my local area, and turkey and peasant when I visit my parents. Some folks worry about mites and such, but I don't because I don't pick up feathers that appear to have suffered from mite damage (which is pretty obvious).

I do worry that if other dancers see me wearing feathers that they might feel inspired to wear them too and then acquire them in less than ethical fashions, so when other dancers ask me about them, I always try to explain that buying feathers supports industries that abuse and kill animals. That said, lately the issue has worn on my soul so much that I may stop wearing them altogether.

love.
ali

I am lucky enough to have several exotic birdie friends. They naturally shed their feathers. I do incorporate their feathers in my costumes, as I know my friends are well loved (and spoiled) and that their feathers are a gift of love.....but I do question about wearing them as I do not want to promote the aquiring of other feathers in a less than humane fashion.

Here is a link for vegan 'feather' boas from Manic Panic if anyone is interested. www.manicpanic.com/boas.html

I'm not sure how they are made or what they are made from, but they are pretty!

All this time later, I am STILL going nuts trying to find vegan feathers. I don't want to use found feathers. I'm getting sad, here, trying and trying so hard to find some great vegan feathers and synthetic sea shells.