Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Shrimps celebrated in PETA's Vegan Fashion Awards

With more and more designers launching fur-free, faux leather and other cruelty-free garments, animal rights organization PETA honours the best animal friendly brands and retailers each year in it's annual Vegan Fashion Award. This year saw the organization expand the award category for its biggest prize ceremony to date.

Some of this year's top winners include Vivienne Westwood (Most Stylish Handbag), Stella McCartney (Most Stylish Women’s Wallet), Calvin Klein Jeans (Most Stylish Men’s Knitwear), Shrimps (Most Stylish Women’s Coat), Simone Rocha (Most Stylish Evening Bag) and Dr Martens (Most Stylish Men’s Boots). "These are exciting times as compassionate consumers change the face of fashion. Animal-free fashion is the future", commented PETA's senior manager Yvonne Taylor. "Forward-thinking designers are experimenting with innovative, high-tech materials that are vegan and, therefore, more eco-friendly and offering ethical consumers a vast array of cruelty-free choices – from high-street to high-end."

Other high street retailers to be awarded prizes include Freedom of Animals, Zara, Esprit, H&M, Bourgeois Boheme and Ananas Anam – the company behind Piñatex, a new innovative faux leather made from pineapple leaves. PETA also honoured Shelly Vella – who recently left her 14-year position as Fashion Director at Cosmopolitan with the Influencer Award, as she has been credited with spearheading numerous anti-fur campaigns during her tenure and introducing the magazine's ban fur and exotic animal skin usage during editorial shoots.