People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the animal rights activist group, has now turned its attacks on wool. At a recent protest in America against fashion brand COS (a Swedish fashion brand in the H&M Group), PETA activists targeted the company over its use of wool, prompting a furious reaction from many within the fashion industry.
PETA seems obsessed with attacking natural animal-based materials such as fur, wool and leather. It has no respect for consumer choice and instead wants to dictate which materials fashion designers and brands should be allowed to use.
But too many brands and fashion CEOs lack the courage to stand up to PETA.
They panic when a petition is launched or a protest takes place and listen to a small minority of activists rather than looking at the facts or listening to their customers.
SEE ALSO: Sustainability: Why is Gucci so confused? Truth About Fur, November 2017.
Clear Objective
PETA’s ultimate objective is clear: to end the use of animal-based materials altogether. If that agenda succeeds, consumers can kiss goodbye to leather bags, wool jumpers and fur coats.
And I blame many brands and fashion bosses for allowing us to get to this point.
Too many gave in to PETA’s pressure over fur, perhaps believing that would be the end of it.
It wasn’t.
Now the pressure is on wool, and next it will be leather.
Where does it end?
If brands and designers don’t start taking a stand, they risk reaching a point where it feels as though they need a PETA representative to approve everything they design.
SEE ALSO: What is “vegan fashion” and how true is the hype? Truth About Fur, December 2022.
Who Should Lead Fashion?
Fashion should be led by designers and consumer choice – not dictated by activist organisations.
It’s time to make a stand for consumer choice and natural materials.
Brands and retailers should look at the facts rather than simply reacting to protests and campaigning claims.
Fur, wool, leather, cotton and silk are natural materials. Many products made from these materials can be worn, repaired, reused and passed down for decades.
At a time when the fashion industry is rightly debating sustainability and its reliance on synthetic materials, we should be having a serious discussion about the role natural materials can play – not simply banning them because activists demand it.
SEE ALSO: Sustainable fur: Global campaign highlights benefits of real fur over plastic fake fur. Truth About Fur, February 2018.
It’s time for brands and designers to fight back.
PETA can campaign for what it believes in. But it cannot be allowed to frighten the fashion industry into submission or dictate what designers create and what consumers are allowed to buy.
Fashion needs to rediscover its courage.
Have the guts to say NO to PETA!
