By Leah Clifton
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Animal welfare may not be something you consider when it comes to fashion, but maybe it should be. Recent statistics from PETA show that upwards of 600 million animals are killed each year just for the clothing industry and if that isn’t bad enough, they spend their short lifetime living in unethical and harmful conditions – enduring an unmeasurable amount of suffering that cannot be justified.
That’s why Grazia are supporting the latest campaign to raise awareness of animal cruelty within the fashion industry. Set up on Change.org the campaign aims to educate the public on the harsh reality of clothing production, to instigate change in all of our shopping habits. Change is the largest platform for campaigns and petitions with over 300 million people connecting across cultural and geographical borders, to support causes they care about by signing their name and spreading the word.
We recently spoke to up and coming fashion design student Leigh Jubb, of Nottingham Trent University, who has been campaigning alongside her studies, as well as designing an ethical collection consisting only of vegan materials. “I’ve always been aware of the unfair treatment animals go through for the sake of fashion, but it wasn’t until I joined the industry myself that I realised the extent some designers will go to,” Leigh told us over a Skype call earlier this week. “There are alternatives for materials such as fur, leather and silk so why are we still torturing animals for their skin, it makes no sense.”
Leigh is currently designing a collection made from only vegan materials and aims to educate the public by tell a story through her garments. “I want the public to be aware of the products they are consuming and think more about how they are made,” she adds. “I think we’re all already aware of animal cruelty within the industry but if people fully understood the process it takes, and what animals go through, just so we can wear a fur coat in the wintertime, I think a lot more people would consider purchasing clothes ethically”.
Since the first vegan fashion week took place last February in Los Angeles, more and more designers and consumers are saying no to unethical materials. The four day event aimed to educate the public on the issues surrounding animal exploitation, whether that be social, environmental or ethical. The goal was to start conversation and debate not only within the fashion industry but amongst the public too and after generating a large amount of attention, the event was a huge success and plans were put in place to hold the event annually. However due to the stay at home orders that we are currently following due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the event has been postponed to late October. Despite this, founder of the event Emmanuelle Rienda, still wanting to spread her message to the world, has launched ‘ethical fashion talks’ – a number of livestreamed events that encourage virtual discussions regarding animal exploitation and the production and consumption of unethical garments. Starting from the 15th of May these talks can be viewed on her website ethicalfashiontalks.com – don’t worry if you can’t watch the livestream itself, they will also be available to view afterwards. In an interview with Apparel News California earlier this month Rienda stated that lockdown is the perfect time to raise awareness and change behaviour in both the fashion industry and consumers. “We need to rethink the way we consume, what we consume and how to sync sustainability with ethics,” She also added, stating that any change no matter how small is a positive.
It appears that all the hard work is paying off as in the last 12 months huge designer names and fashion houses such as Gucci and Versace have pledged to go fur free – with some even going the full mile and cutting out animal products and skins all together (Victoria Beckham we love you). There’s no denying that any form of torture on animals is appalling, completely unethical and needs to be stopped, but fur farming is one of the worst.
The fur seen on the catwalk and even trickled down into some high street stores typically comes from farmed animals such as mink, rabbits and foxes who spend their lifetime cramped into tiny cages, deprived of living a natural life. Keeping these animals in such small spaces leads to welfare issues including self-mutilation and infected wounds, ultimately meaning their skin won’t even be used as it won’t be in a good enough condition to be sold. The animals who are slaughtered are subjected to inhumane deaths most likely through gassing or electrocution, causing severe levels of pain and distress, as these methods are thought to preserve the skin.
China the world’s largest fur exporter, who supply the United Kingdom with more than half of their fur garments, have the worst regulations regarding animal cruelty and with no penalties are not only willingly, but lawfully able to skin animals alive. Animals are skinned from head to toe and are still alive during the process – after enduring this torture the hairless body is left amongst other deceased animals and can remain alive for up to 10 minutes. This process even happens to cats and dogs who have been found stray on the streets and are often mislabelled during shipment to the UK, so if you’re purchasing fur there’s no way to tell what skin you’re wearing.
In an industry as competitive as fashion, materials can become incredibly sought after, particularly if a designer has a successful collection with a certain material – others see the success and want to copy it for themselves, much like in every other industry. After Kanye West was seen sporting pieces from Chanel’s 2016 Autumn/Winter collection, leather quickly became the latest fabric to be in constant demand, resulting in mass production through a harsh farming system. When it comes to the exploitation of animals for exotic skins we’re more likely to think about fluffy animals trapped in small cages, but what about cows? Recent statistics have suggested that if the demand for leather continues by 2025 over 430 million cows will need to be slaughtered annually, to keep up with the fashion industry’s material of the moment. The majority of leather in the UK is imported from India where cows are relentlessly abused, tortured and exposed to toxic chemicals before being skinned in makeshift tanneries, sometimes even by children. The leather is then often shipped to Italy to be finished and printed with the infamous “Italian leather” stamp, to make consumers believe they are investing in the very best sought after material.
However in reality we buy leather goods without knowing where it truly originates from, or the condition the animals were farmed in. Of course leather is deemed to be one of the most luxurious materials as it’s made to last a lifetime, but with advancements in technology being made daily, alternative materials (for all animal skin) are growing in popularity.
As designer brands and fashion houses implement bans on the use of exotic skins in all of their collections, the debate of whether faux fabrics can really replicate the real deal is at an all time high. Synthetic materials made to look authentic consist mainly of polyester, nylon and organic cotton that are treated with ethical chemicals to achieve the desired look of animal skins – they can look so good and believable it poses the question of why the industry still needs to use animal skins.
Following the recent developments in vegan fabrics PETA released a statement commending all designers who opt for ethical alternatives. “With a variety of lavish, high-end vegan materials available, there’s simply no justification for wearing the skins of tortured animals”. However when it comes to the faux vs real fabric debate, it isn’t just as simple as a difference in origin - the argument still remains that faux fabrics, whilst causing no harm to animals, can cause more harm to the environment especially plastic based faux fur which isn’t currently biodegradable. When washed, these synthetic fabrics shed tiny plastic microfibres that can end up in the ocean and our water supplies if they aren’t filtered out adding to the increasing levels of ocean pollution.
Both sides of the argument have valid points and even for the most informed shopper, this can be a lot to digest and consider. But instead of focusing on the negatives of faux animal skins, Grazia are campaigning alongside millions of others to focus on the positives – no animal must lose their life for the sake of fashion. If we are all aware of animal cruelty within the industry and chose to shop more consciously with ethics in mind, then that’s a step in the right direction. Animals are not ours to wear or abuse in any other way. Help us stop the slaughtering of innocent animals. Spread the word – together we can raise awareness.
