Fashion & Animals

I love animals. I've loved animals since I was tiny, being surrounded by dogs and horses it was hard not to see their appeal.  Having your pet dog or cat curl up on you, understand you when the world seems to be against you.... there truly is no other love or affection. 

What is not to love?!  This is my doggie Olly xx

 I know in the past years we used to see lots of fur gracing our catwalks.  This all was campaigned against and groups set up such as the PETA, they have continued to lobby against the cruelty of animals.  Even though the cruelty may be less...sadly it still continues on.   

As you may or may not be aware, during this year’s Milan Fashion Week the designer Karl Lagerfeld covered the catwalk in fur.  A bit of a shock as Karl Lagerfeld was only last year praising faux fur over the real, bloody stuff! Can you believe that? Perhaps his creative years are behind him and he is revisiting earlier, rather shameful times when no one realized it was déclassé and insensitive to make models wear animals' body parts?  Who knows what was going through his mind but anyone with an ounce of sense, let alone fashion sense or compassion, would be caught dead in these outfits.  It is horriffic and I'm quite surprised that it happpened.
I know there are some fashion designers and lovers who still adore fur, but take a look at these pictures.  I apologize in advance as they aren't the nicest to look at.  If shock is what we in the fashion world need to help get the message across, then shock is what we will have.  Animals caged and some skinned alive.  How is this justified?  
Credit is certainly due to the designers like Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham, Marc Bouwer, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, whose collections are 100 per cent fur-free as always – offering a look that kills without killing animals.
Is fashion that important we kill innocent animals? 

The ever fabulous designer Stella McCartney (who I've praised in the past for her amazing sports range) has joined forces with the PETA to launch the first ever Anti-Leather campaign. During London Fashion Week it all kicked off, when McCartney urged fellow fashionistas to shed not only fur but leather as well.  This all comes from the a viral video expose of the skins trade.  It's made me think a lot about where my clothes come from...
Video Reveals the Suffering of Animals Slaughtered for Their Skins "As a designer, I like to work with fabrics that don't bleed; that's why I avoid all animal skins", says McCartney in the video. "Please join me in exploring the huge variety of fashionable shoes, belts, purses and wallets that aren't the product of a cow's violent death."

I'll be first to admit sometimes I've opted for ignorance is bliss.  I have in the past had leather items but prefer not to think about how they became what they did, and what suffered if they did.  However In PETA's video, McCartney, showcases a one-off collection during London Fashion Week, explains that cows killed for their skin are castrated, branded and dehorned, as well as having their tails cut off, all without painkillers. In abattoirs, the animals' throats are cut, and many cows are skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious. The toxic chemicals used to treat the animals' skin and keep it from rotting harm workers' health and can pollute nearby water supplies and soil, leading to increased rates of cancer among nearby residents.  In conclusion, it really doesn't benefit anyone.
 As designers and the celebrities they dress learn about the cruelty inherent in the skins trade, a growing number of them – including Marc Bouwer, Natalie Portman, and Joan Jett – are shunning leather, fur and other animal skins and proving that you can create a look that kills without killing animals. 
Stunned?  I know I have been.  Is fashion really worth the pain these animals go through? 
Broadcast-quality video footage is available for download here. For more information or to view PETA's video, please visit PETA.org.uk or click here.
   xoxo