The Voice For The Animals

Stripped Down. Shirley Manson campaigning for PETA and supporting the ‘Fur is DEAD’ campaign, posing with a dead fox which was skinned alive. Photo credits: PETA

They say New York is the city that never sleeps and so is the fashion industry. Everyone is getting the latest scoops on what's "in" and what's "out" for the season. Twice a year, fashion designers, brands or "houses" display their latest collections on runway shows for fashion editors, buyers and media to take a look at the season's latest trends. Fashion week are the most important week, and that also means that more innocent animals are harm in the process for fashion.  

At the spring 2013 fashion show, models from Loewe, Marni, Mugler, (to name a few) walked down the runways clad in leather and Miu Miu and Fendi, in fur. Just imagine the number of innocent, helpless animals that were skinned alive for their furs for the sake of us, human being. These animals sacrificed their lives to keep us warm and fashionable. 

Designers retrieved their furs and leathers from fur farms in China where animals are breed or raise for their fur. The animals are kept in bad condition where they are pack into small cages which restricts their movement. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) claims that “foxes and other animals suffer equally and may even cannibalize each other as a reaction to their crowded confinement.” 

These innocent animals were skinned alive for their fur with no anesthesia given. Just imagine the pain they have to go through. These animals have no voice to yell to their abusers to stop or any way to fight for their life. Just put yourself in their position. How do YOU feel if someone just operates on you with no anesthesia given and no choice given?

Thankfully, now, we have an alternative option to wear fur and leather, FAUX LEATHER or FAUX FUR. These top fashion designers have decided to make a stand for the animals and set a bar for the fashion industry. Top fashion names: Calvin Klein, Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren, Vivienne Westwood, Tommy Hilfiger, Betsey Johnson and Charlotte Ronson are the few fur-free designers who have sworn off fur and decided to go cruelty-free. Consumers can now get their designer goods from these designers without doubting their purchase. Even Hollywood A-Listers are going faux. Stars include Khloe Kardashian, Mario, Pamela Anderson and many more. 

Another fashion house that is putting a stop to animal cruelty is H&M, a Swedish multinational

retail-clothing company. H&M said that it would “stop making clothing containing angora hair” after PETA released a video showing rabbits being skinned alive for their fur on the fur farms in China. 

According to PETA, “China produces 90 per cent of the world’s angora hair.” The video shows “white angora rabbits at a variety of different farms in China tied to wooden tables in rooms filled with cages, as workers hold them down and tear off clumps of their fur by hand, while the animals scream in agony” and another part of the video shows rabbits, pink-skinned after having their fur being pulled out. H&M have decided to stop producing and purchasing angora products. That is the most humane thing to do, don't you think? Just watch the video and you'll swear off angora products as well. 

They say fashion is murder. But fashion don’t have to be murder if we all stop supporting the fur and leather industry and be more fashion conscious and pick our materials well. There are other ways to keep ourselves warm and fashionable. The fur and leather don’t have to be our only options. It's not that hard to flip the clothes to check the material it's made of. Or just ask the salesperson on the material if in doubt. 

Let’s hope in years to come, more fashion moguls will hop on the bandwagon and be cruelty-free so that we can finally buy designer good with a peace of mind.

You can do your part by pledging to be animal-cruelty free and helping these animals by signing the petition as well as emailing these companies to stop harming innocent lives. For more information and to help these animals, you can log on to Cruelty-Free International or PETA's website. 

The world is cruel enough with wars, poverty and rape. Let's not turn a blind eye to this as well. By reducing one cruelty, it could make the world a tad bit a better place. One step at a time.