3 min read
Will this bad news bring the “Happy” singer down? PETA released a new video slamming Pharrell Williams for using wild-animal skins and fur in his Louis Vuitton collections in advance of a biopic, Piece by Piece, about the singer’s life. “It’s Not Classy” unveils an unhappy truth: As Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director, Pharrell signs off on the company’s cruelty.
Constructive Criticism at Its Finest! PETA’s Diss Track Takes Pharrell to Task
In PETA’s Lego-animated short, Pharrell has blood on his hands to represent the torment and slaughter of animals for Louis Vuitton’s clothing and accessories. It isn’t beautiful—it’s despicable.
PETA is calling on Pharrell to build a lasting legacy at Louis Vuitton by ditching deadly designs and leaving animals in peace, not in pieces.” —PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange
Why Is PETA Dragging Pharrell?
Piece by Piece is an appropriate metaphor for many of Louis Vuitton’s items, which contain bits and pieces of hacked-up animal skin and fur. A PETA Asia investigation into slaughterhouses in Indonesia that supply Louis Vuitton’s parent company, LVMH, showed workers inflating snakes with water, bashing them with hammers, and cutting them with razors while they were likely still conscious.
PETA entities have also documented how workers in the fashion industry hack at crocodiles’ necks and shove metal rods down their spines, chop off conscious lizards’ heads with machetes, and electrically stun ostriches before slitting their throats in full view of their terrified flockmates. Multiple investigations into the fur industry have revealed workers bludgeoning, gassing, and electrocuting animals. Sometimes, workers even skin them alive.
It’s High Time for Pharrell to Change His Tune
PETA has repeatedly called on Pharrell to cut animal-derived materials from his collections. When a PETA protester called out Louis Vuitton’s cruelty at the premiere of Piece by Piece, Pharrell said, “You’re right.”
In a follow-up letter to the musician, PETA questioned whether he was just spewing hot air when he had said that his team was “working on” removing animal skins and fur from his designs: “You made this same comment in Paris in July at your Olympics kick-off party. It doesn’t take ‘work’ to make a decision to stop doing something that most designers have already stopped doing. You have the power to make an important change now, and if you don’t, you should take it somewhere where you can.”
There are no blurred lines here—animals don’t want to be abused or killed for clothing. Dozens of major designers and retailers, including Calvin Klein, Chanel, Nordstrom, and Tommy Hilfiger, have all stopped using wild-animal skins and fur. Please join PETA in calling on Pharrell to do the same:
