Vegans: did you ever own leather items? Handbags, shoes, etc.? If so, how did you

[Warpy]

2. Not all vegans are animal rights enthusiasts

I was a vegan for some years because I felt much better when I didn't eat animal products. However, I'm a fiber artist who uses wool, cashmere, rabbit fur, dog hair, and camelid & musk ox hair, something the animal rights people find reprehensible (even though musk ox hair is found on vegetation during molting season, I'd hate to try to shave one of those things). My feet tended to sweat horribly in plastic shoes, so the few pairs I owned were at least partially leather.

Not eating the flesh, eggs or milk and avoiding the byproducts are two separate issues. You can certainly do the former without having to do the latter.