A PETA France activist took over Dior’s show during Paris Fashion Week by storming the runway before the star-studded audience. Wearing a faux-feather dress depicting what looked like live-plucked skin, they held a sign reading, “F*ck Feathers,” to denounce the fashion house’s use of the cruelly obtained material. The action comes after Lady Gaga appeared at the Paris Olympics wearing a Dior dress made of ostrich feathers.
It’s a myth that ostriches bury their heads in the sand, but Dior is guilty of doing just that to wilfully ignore the suffering of birds. Cruelty and violence are rampant in the feather industry, and PETA is calling on Dior to ditch feathers and finally get creative with innovative vegan materials.
Ostriches Abused for Dior
Ostriches are the birds most commonly exploited for feathers by the fashion industry. A PETA video exposé of the world’s largest ostrich-slaughter companies revealed that young birds are kept on barren dirt feedlots before they’re crammed onto lorries, transported to abattoirs, and electrically shocked before their throats are slit.
These animals can live up to 45 years in their natural habitats, but those used for their feathers are killed at just 1 year old. Dior has claimed that it uses feathers that are a result of natural moulting, but selling moulted feathers is not a viable business model to supply designers with the volume of feathers they demand – and whenever parts of animals are used in the fashion industry, corners are cut and abuse is commonplace.
Designers and Fashion Weeks Ban Feathers
PETA entities have joined hands with Stella McCartney to call on designers around the world to pledge to never again use feathers in their collections.
In addition to the British designer, many houses – including Felder Felder, Eirinn Hayhow, Richard Malone, Patrick McDowell, VIN + OMI, Pīferi, Sarah Regensburger, and Joshua James Small – have already pledged to go feather-free.
Fashion weeks in Berlin, Copenhagen, and Melbourne have adopted policies against the use of wild birds’ feathers. Innovative designers are creating vegan feathers from bamboo, embroidery, metal, or recycled materials.
Activism for Animals
The action follows PETA’s recent disruption of a Burberry show in London, and PETA entity supporters have stormed runways during previous London, Milan, New York, and Paris Fashion Weeks to protest against the use of animal skin.
You can help animals by pledging never to wear feathers:
