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Showing posts with label PETA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PETA. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2012
Hot fuzz
Friday, November 5, 2010
Men in furs II
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| arena homme +/morphoman via TFS |
Another day, another Andrej Pejic editorial. This time it’s not Vogue but well, Arena Homme + does call itself “the bible of contemporary mens culture….so many men turn to it as an essential read, as well as a reliable seasonal source of wardrobe advice”. The Winter 2010/Spring 2011 edition has just launched and according to this editorial lensed by Willy Vanderperre, men will be rocking Gucci fur coats and lippie during the northern winter (head to Morphoman to see the complete set of images). After Vogue Italia’s louche new 'Venus in Furs' editorial, which also co-stars Pejic, could the animal rights lobby be losing its grip on the anti-fur PR front?
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Natalie Imbruglia helps PETA push for a fur-free world
"This Is Fur" Narrated by Natalie Imbruglia
Here is the new anti-fur video from animal rights group PETA, entirely narrated by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia - who is currently doing maternity cover for compatriot Dannii Minogue on the British series of The X Factor. It's a gut-wrenching video, so be warned. In it, PETA's undercover operatives have filmed in various fur farms and processing facilities, although no location is clearly identified - beyond the references to the Chinese fur industry, which is known for its brutality. China's human rights record is of course not particularly impressive, but that's of little concern to PETA. A number of fur organisations, such as the US Fur Commission, would no doubt take umbrage at the continued claims that strict regulations do not apply to this industry in other countries and that farmed fur animals are not afforded good nutrition, comfortable housing and prompt veterinary care. But then PETA never seems to film inside those facilities. As Paul McCartney once noted, if abbatoirs had glass walls we'd all be vegetarians. Until that day presumably, the greater percentage of the world's population will continue to eat meat.
Friday, September 4, 2009
The fur is flying in Melbourne, but where the hell is PETA?
Within one hour of touching down in Melbourne for this week's Marc Jacobs on Film festival, fashblogger Bryanboy told me he was approached by two animal rights protestors on Bourke Street over a fox fur collar he was sporting. One of two fur collars he brought to Melbourne. In the interim, the animal rights lobby has been asleep at the vegan leather-covered wheel. In spite of having been targeted by PETA last year back in his home town of Manila, a recent blog blowup about the origin of these particular furs - China - and furthermore, having repeatedly advertised his Melbourne location, not a peep out of PETA. And that's not for a lack of opportunities.
On Tuesday, frockwriter was down in Melbourne to moderate another FGI Fashion Flash industry seminar, this time at the Fashion Exposed trade show.
Spent the rest of the afternoon out and about town with Bryanboy and a blog posse that included Matt 'Imelda' Jordan, Helen 'Sassybella' Lee, Hayley Hughes and celebrity stylist Philip Boon.
Bryanboy was wearing the silver fox and frockwriter couldn't resist doing a little impromptu styling:
In case there is any doubt that that is, or at least was, a fox, here's a closeup of its face:
I did not manage to get a shot, but FYI the mouth opens and closes.
After we both tweeted the shots, I was a little concerned that Bryanboy might be on the receiving end of a bucket of red paint. And that I might inadvertently cop a little PETA "fur scum" rage by way of proximity:
imelda
But nada.
And as if Bryanboy needed any encouragement on the fur front, moreover, Boon appears to be even more of a fur-ophile.
Here's a shot from Boon's iPhone that was recently taken during a trip to the Victorian Alps:
This afternoon, Boon took Bryanboy on a Melbourne shopping tour, which swung by numerous shops selling vintage fur.
bryanboy
And apparently Bryanboy did not walk away empty-handed. Here he is back at the hotel:
bryanboy
Shots and shop locations were tweeted by both Bryanboy and Boon all afternoon.
But still, no reaction.
So there you have it.
In spite of recent protests outside the boutique of Melbourne designer Alannah Hill (and an email death threat which PETA denied had anything to do with them), PETA has lost the battle against fur in Melbourne - where a fur coat would no doubt come in very handy during the chilly southern winter.
Too busy busy pumping energy into the mulesing saga downunder?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Michelle Jank helps reimage Oz wool
awi
Sydney is certainly a fashion hub this week – and the inaugural Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival doesn’t even officially kick off until tomorrow. After yesterday’s Fashion Laureate announcement, this morning Australian Wool Innovation relaunched its new corporate identity and brand stable – together with a spectacular A$120million campaign styled by Paris-based Australian fashion and jewellery designer Michelle Jank.
Couldn’t get to this presentation either (I’m flat out with other work - thanks for hanging in there on the blog) but I do have a story about the launch in today’s WWD.
I thought I would share some of the images not used in the story.
The new relaunch includes three new brands: Australian Merino, Superior Merino and Superior Merino Blend.
The new marketing push aims to relaunch Australian merino wool into the global market as a clean, green - read sustainable and biodegradable - luxury fibre.
Images 1, 2 and 3 are from the Superior Merino campaign, styled by Jank and shot by David Mandelberg.
Images 4 and 5 are from the Australian Merino campaign – once again styled (and designed) by Jank. John Macarthur also provided knit garments for this shoot, which took place in the Kimberleys in WA. The photographer is Georges Antoni.
The ideas of “clean” wool and corporate social responsibility vis-à-vis the Australian wool industry probably won’t go down well with the animal rights lobby.
The latter regards the industry as barbaric and has been on its back over the past four years over the mulesing issue - and even with the industry commitment to a 2010 mulesing phaseout, still does not appear to be satisfied.
PETA would presumably like nothing better than for Australia’s 55,000 woolgrowers to shift to hemp production and for Australia’s 80 million sheep to be released into the wild - where they would irrefutably die agonising deaths from, take your pick, predators, flystrike, parasitic infestation or heat exhaustion.
Or perhaps PETA could rescue them and then simply put them all down en masse? As with the 10,000 animals it reportedly euthanised from 1998 to 2003.
While PETA has been busy trying to win over retailers to its anti-wool cause, apparently you can’t keep designers away from wool.
Over the past eight months the rollcall of designers putting their hands up to become involved with various AWI initiatives, from the Protégé Project to the Woolmark Prize, has included Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace, Paul Smith, Francisco Costa and Sonia Rykiel.
At today’s presentation that designer rollcall also included the winner of the 2008 Woolmark Prize Qui Hao from China, Jank and Sydney-based Jayson Brunsdon and Ben Pollitt.
Merino suits from Herringbone were modelled by Wallabies players.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Stella!!!!!! Definitely no fur - but iffy merino - in a (luxe) streetwear collection named desire
Scurrying to get to this morning's first show I am confronted by a half dozen people in white coats standing outside the venue, the Palais de Chaillot. Each is standing next to a dog on a lead. I think to myself, "Ah yes - yet more animal rights protestors", before doing a double take, and then remembering that the designer whose show I am about to see - Stella McCartney - does not in fact use fur.
On closer inspection it emerges that the white coat brigade are models hired by Target. Each has a little red Target logo on their pocket and each dog - every one of them a massive white bulldog - has a red 'target' painted in concentric circles around its right eye.
The spruikers hand out literature and bottles of water with "Proenza Schouler for Target" labelling. As for the dogs 'makeup', whether it was red paint, lipstick or theatrical makeup, I can't help thinking:
A/ That's got to be hard to get off a white dog and
B/ What would the animal rights lobby say?
Add to that the most pressing question of all here:
C/ With McCartney's own capsule range for Target Australia due to be released in Melbourne next week, shouldn't that in fact be Stella McCartney for Target that is being spruiked out the front of her show?
The animal rights lobby of course has no issue with McCartney. In fact McCartney is something of a PETA poster girl. A staunch vegan who has steadfastly refused to use leather or fur in her collections - in spite of the fact that her brand is now owned by one of the world's biggest luxury leathergoods conglomerates, Gucci Group - McCartney appears on PETA's website in a special videogram, designed to help people think twice about using fur. Her spring/summer 2005 collection moreover earned PETA's "Best animal-friendly luxury collection" award that year.
It is with some surprise therefore, that I get to my seat and open McCartney's show notes only to find the following word listed under fabrics used: "merino". I make a mental note of asking McCartney about this after the show.
The music comes up and the two sides of an enormous silver 'wall' pivot back on their tracks to reveal the runway.
It's a terrifically upbeat collection of rugged-up urban chic: from enormous hooded parkas to oversized knit dresses, some of them boasting an alpine intarsia motif complete with cute 'bears', to voluminous gilets, jackets and one skirt in a shagpile carpet-look faux "fur" made using a handcrafted "tufting" technique.
There are also some great dresses, notably one sculpted putty-coloured knit pinafore dress over matching turtleneck and some cashmere jumpsuits, the best in hot, almost fluoro pink, with a sporty racerback. Oversized seems to be the key to this show. The best coat in the collection is a striking ivory trench with overblown, almost leg o'mutton sleeves.
The collection, which is available through leading multibrand boutiques such as Belinda, Elle and Cactus Jam, should be a hit. Far bigger Stella McCartney news in Australia right now however is the Stella McCartney for Target range. A 45-piece "Best Of" collection, according to the McCartney camp, it's due to be unveiled at the Melbourne Fashion Festival.
I dash backstage to speak to McCartney and wait in line while all the wellwishers say hi. There's a suite of big US retailers - Barneys, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman.
Paris Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld (who some may recall was wearing a Prada outfit on the day of the Prada show last week) was not in Stella McCartney, but Roitfeld was wearing a gold pyramid stud-embellished navy cardigan hot off last night's Givenchy runway.
McCartney answers question after question from a gaggle of international television crews.
The issue of fur comes up in every interview and McCartney uses various terms such as "old lady" and "barbaric" to describe what she thinks of the look. She is wearing an ink blue hooded sweater dress, black stockings and black satin pumps.
Finally it's my turn.
Just as I go to flick the on button on my tape recorder, McCartney's PR loudly advises "No personal questions this time".
Frankly I'm amazed that he remembers me. He is referring to the last question of the post-show chat that I had with McCartney last season when I had the temerity to ask, after reading McCartney's usual show notes dedications to her family, her parents etc..., just what she might dedicate to Heather Mills, the soon-to-be ex-wife of her father Sir Paul McCartney. At which McCartney stormed off saying words to the effect that it was the most ridiculous question she had ever heard. Given the well-publicised animosity between the pair, I didn't think it was that ridiculous.
So, no personal questions this time:
The Target Australia deal - that's an interesting choice for you.
Stella McCartney: 'Tarjay' apparently is what we say. Yeah you know, the H&M thing was such a success but it wasn't in Australia and we felt sorry for the Australians. So we just thought, you know what, let's do it. Because it's a nice thing to do and I think the collection looks great and I think it will hopefully do well.
I am told it's a Best Of/greatest hits collection.
A little bit of a 'best of' yeah - some nice little print dresses, nice knitwear, some nice stuff - good trousers, nice tailoring.
When you did the collection for [European fast fashion chain] H&M, the merchandise virtually evaporated from the shop floors in hours. So potentially we're about to see some of that H&M-type hysteria in Australia?
It's similar because you know... it's what we do. We didn't sort of water anything down. We treated it quite seriously. We're proud of that collection actually. The girls want it - the girls in the [Stella McCartney] studio.
People may even fly to Sydney to buy it.
No they wouldn't go that far.
Why are so many designers interested in doing these tie-ins with discount chain stores?
I don't think anyone's sort of ashamed of doing these things anymore. I think they're a bit more realistic. I mean we're all aware of lots of different brands and lots of different labels. I think it's kind of modern to look at it and go, 'You know what? You wear that couture dress and you wear it with a pair of high street jeans'. It's just realistic. I don't think anyone has to be so kind of [makes gasping noise] precious about it all. It's a more modern way to look at the industry.
You're not coming out for the launch?
I don't think so.
Walking into your show before, there were these people with dogs and I thought, 'Animal rights protestors - that's weird, she doesn't do fur' but then...
I know it's weird isn't it, when they wear fur to my show? But you know, I wish people wouldn't wear...
No I mean the Target promo. But do you think the animal rights lobby would be happy about having bulldogs outside your show, especially with lipstick targets painted around their eyes?
[Joking] Aaa.... they wouldn't mind, as long as the bulldog's happy.
Now I know you don't wear or use fur however PETA also has very strong opinions on wool, notably Australian wool. PETA has in fact been extremely vocal in its criticisms of the Australian wool industry. I noticed that your show notes say you have used merino in the collection. Where does the merino come from?
From sheep - but they're nicely treated.
Australia?
I don't know, I'll find out. I have no idea. We have quite a strict rule in the house of Stella McCartney that we make sure everthing's signed off. Even things like buttons. We get quite kind of... we follow the life of our product before it hits the shelf.
So you're saying that you don't use Australian wool in your collections?
I don't know. I'll find out for you. I'm not 100% sure to be honest.
McCartney's PR intervenes:
PR: What is the question?
McCartney: Is it Australian wool?
PR: Oh no, it's not Australian wool.
McCartney [to me]: Why - are you mean to your sheep in Australia or something?
It's the mulesing issue - the practise that is used to combat flystrike. It's had quite a lot of publicity around the world, with calls for boycotts of Australian wool etc...
McCartney: I'm sure they do something mean but we don't use that. We're nice to our sheep and our wool. We're very responsible.
Approximately two hours later I receive a phone call from McCartney's PR office.
The office has looked into McCartney's supply chain, I am told, and reports that it can confirm McCartney's wool is "English Shetland".
I am also informed that the Target promo outside McCartney's show was essentially ambush marketing organised without McCartney's permission. Target US and Target Australia are two completely separate companies.
Now, I'm no wool authority, however merino and Shetland strike me as two completely different types of wool. And why on earth say that you use merino in your show notes anyway, if it is in fact something completely different?
According to Australian Wool Innovation, no merinos are bred in the UK and 70percent of the merino wool that is used worldwide in apparel hails from Australia. A small percentage comes from South Africa and New Zealand.
AWI was unable to confirm or deny whether McCartney does in fact use Australian merino wool. But curiously, that does not appear to have stopped them from using McCartney's name and collection in an autumn/winter 0506 trend report on their website - which makes specific reference to McCartney's use of merino wool.
The source of Stella McCartney's "merino" is obviously a matter between McCartney and her supply chain.
Unless any Australian merino growers reading this who believe that they supply either McCartney or the Gucci Group parent would like to throw some light on the issue, all we can really say for sure is that there is a 70percent chance that McCartney used Australian merino in her AW0708 collection, a 70percent chance that she used it in her AW0506 collection and a smaller chance that she may have even used it in her SS05 collection that was dubbed by PETA to be the "Best animal-friendly luxury collection" of the year.
Two things we can however say with a fair degree of confidence: Target US tests makeup on animals.
And a bunch of Parisian bulldogs will be taking the red eye across town for the next few days.
Original post and comments.
On closer inspection it emerges that the white coat brigade are models hired by Target. Each has a little red Target logo on their pocket and each dog - every one of them a massive white bulldog - has a red 'target' painted in concentric circles around its right eye.
The spruikers hand out literature and bottles of water with "Proenza Schouler for Target" labelling. As for the dogs 'makeup', whether it was red paint, lipstick or theatrical makeup, I can't help thinking:
A/ That's got to be hard to get off a white dog and
B/ What would the animal rights lobby say?
Add to that the most pressing question of all here:
C/ With McCartney's own capsule range for Target Australia due to be released in Melbourne next week, shouldn't that in fact be Stella McCartney for Target that is being spruiked out the front of her show?
The animal rights lobby of course has no issue with McCartney. In fact McCartney is something of a PETA poster girl. A staunch vegan who has steadfastly refused to use leather or fur in her collections - in spite of the fact that her brand is now owned by one of the world's biggest luxury leathergoods conglomerates, Gucci Group - McCartney appears on PETA's website in a special videogram, designed to help people think twice about using fur. Her spring/summer 2005 collection moreover earned PETA's "Best animal-friendly luxury collection" award that year.
It is with some surprise therefore, that I get to my seat and open McCartney's show notes only to find the following word listed under fabrics used: "merino". I make a mental note of asking McCartney about this after the show.
The music comes up and the two sides of an enormous silver 'wall' pivot back on their tracks to reveal the runway.
It's a terrifically upbeat collection of rugged-up urban chic: from enormous hooded parkas to oversized knit dresses, some of them boasting an alpine intarsia motif complete with cute 'bears', to voluminous gilets, jackets and one skirt in a shagpile carpet-look faux "fur" made using a handcrafted "tufting" technique.
There are also some great dresses, notably one sculpted putty-coloured knit pinafore dress over matching turtleneck and some cashmere jumpsuits, the best in hot, almost fluoro pink, with a sporty racerback. Oversized seems to be the key to this show. The best coat in the collection is a striking ivory trench with overblown, almost leg o'mutton sleeves.
The collection, which is available through leading multibrand boutiques such as Belinda, Elle and Cactus Jam, should be a hit. Far bigger Stella McCartney news in Australia right now however is the Stella McCartney for Target range. A 45-piece "Best Of" collection, according to the McCartney camp, it's due to be unveiled at the Melbourne Fashion Festival.
I dash backstage to speak to McCartney and wait in line while all the wellwishers say hi. There's a suite of big US retailers - Barneys, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman.
Paris Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld (who some may recall was wearing a Prada outfit on the day of the Prada show last week) was not in Stella McCartney, but Roitfeld was wearing a gold pyramid stud-embellished navy cardigan hot off last night's Givenchy runway.
McCartney answers question after question from a gaggle of international television crews.
The issue of fur comes up in every interview and McCartney uses various terms such as "old lady" and "barbaric" to describe what she thinks of the look. She is wearing an ink blue hooded sweater dress, black stockings and black satin pumps.
Finally it's my turn.
Just as I go to flick the on button on my tape recorder, McCartney's PR loudly advises "No personal questions this time".
Frankly I'm amazed that he remembers me. He is referring to the last question of the post-show chat that I had with McCartney last season when I had the temerity to ask, after reading McCartney's usual show notes dedications to her family, her parents etc..., just what she might dedicate to Heather Mills, the soon-to-be ex-wife of her father Sir Paul McCartney. At which McCartney stormed off saying words to the effect that it was the most ridiculous question she had ever heard. Given the well-publicised animosity between the pair, I didn't think it was that ridiculous.
So, no personal questions this time:
The Target Australia deal - that's an interesting choice for you.
Stella McCartney: 'Tarjay' apparently is what we say. Yeah you know, the H&M thing was such a success but it wasn't in Australia and we felt sorry for the Australians. So we just thought, you know what, let's do it. Because it's a nice thing to do and I think the collection looks great and I think it will hopefully do well.
I am told it's a Best Of/greatest hits collection.
A little bit of a 'best of' yeah - some nice little print dresses, nice knitwear, some nice stuff - good trousers, nice tailoring.
When you did the collection for [European fast fashion chain] H&M, the merchandise virtually evaporated from the shop floors in hours. So potentially we're about to see some of that H&M-type hysteria in Australia?
It's similar because you know... it's what we do. We didn't sort of water anything down. We treated it quite seriously. We're proud of that collection actually. The girls want it - the girls in the [Stella McCartney] studio.
People may even fly to Sydney to buy it.
No they wouldn't go that far.
Why are so many designers interested in doing these tie-ins with discount chain stores?
I don't think anyone's sort of ashamed of doing these things anymore. I think they're a bit more realistic. I mean we're all aware of lots of different brands and lots of different labels. I think it's kind of modern to look at it and go, 'You know what? You wear that couture dress and you wear it with a pair of high street jeans'. It's just realistic. I don't think anyone has to be so kind of [makes gasping noise] precious about it all. It's a more modern way to look at the industry.
You're not coming out for the launch?
I don't think so.
Walking into your show before, there were these people with dogs and I thought, 'Animal rights protestors - that's weird, she doesn't do fur' but then...
I know it's weird isn't it, when they wear fur to my show? But you know, I wish people wouldn't wear...
No I mean the Target promo. But do you think the animal rights lobby would be happy about having bulldogs outside your show, especially with lipstick targets painted around their eyes?
[Joking] Aaa.... they wouldn't mind, as long as the bulldog's happy.
Now I know you don't wear or use fur however PETA also has very strong opinions on wool, notably Australian wool. PETA has in fact been extremely vocal in its criticisms of the Australian wool industry. I noticed that your show notes say you have used merino in the collection. Where does the merino come from?
From sheep - but they're nicely treated.
Australia?
I don't know, I'll find out. I have no idea. We have quite a strict rule in the house of Stella McCartney that we make sure everthing's signed off. Even things like buttons. We get quite kind of... we follow the life of our product before it hits the shelf.
So you're saying that you don't use Australian wool in your collections?
I don't know. I'll find out for you. I'm not 100% sure to be honest.
McCartney's PR intervenes:
PR: What is the question?
McCartney: Is it Australian wool?
PR: Oh no, it's not Australian wool.
McCartney [to me]: Why - are you mean to your sheep in Australia or something?
It's the mulesing issue - the practise that is used to combat flystrike. It's had quite a lot of publicity around the world, with calls for boycotts of Australian wool etc...
McCartney: I'm sure they do something mean but we don't use that. We're nice to our sheep and our wool. We're very responsible.
Approximately two hours later I receive a phone call from McCartney's PR office.
The office has looked into McCartney's supply chain, I am told, and reports that it can confirm McCartney's wool is "English Shetland".
I am also informed that the Target promo outside McCartney's show was essentially ambush marketing organised without McCartney's permission. Target US and Target Australia are two completely separate companies.
Now, I'm no wool authority, however merino and Shetland strike me as two completely different types of wool. And why on earth say that you use merino in your show notes anyway, if it is in fact something completely different?
According to Australian Wool Innovation, no merinos are bred in the UK and 70percent of the merino wool that is used worldwide in apparel hails from Australia. A small percentage comes from South Africa and New Zealand.
AWI was unable to confirm or deny whether McCartney does in fact use Australian merino wool. But curiously, that does not appear to have stopped them from using McCartney's name and collection in an autumn/winter 0506 trend report on their website - which makes specific reference to McCartney's use of merino wool.
The source of Stella McCartney's "merino" is obviously a matter between McCartney and her supply chain.
Unless any Australian merino growers reading this who believe that they supply either McCartney or the Gucci Group parent would like to throw some light on the issue, all we can really say for sure is that there is a 70percent chance that McCartney used Australian merino in her AW0708 collection, a 70percent chance that she used it in her AW0506 collection and a smaller chance that she may have even used it in her SS05 collection that was dubbed by PETA to be the "Best animal-friendly luxury collection" of the year.
Two things we can however say with a fair degree of confidence: Target US tests makeup on animals.
And a bunch of Parisian bulldogs will be taking the red eye across town for the next few days.
Original post and comments.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Phone-throwing fur traitor Naomi Campbell and Jodie "skinny" Kidd at Julien Macdonald
A Julien Macdonald show usually requires a special effort. It's the frenzy that seems to be associated with this show. No doubt exacerbated by the ultra strict security, the bag checks at the front door etc... - all apparently in a bid to thwart the best efforts of PETA, who have a major problem with Macdonald's use of fur. People frequently complain of double-booked seats and the general atmos is one of pandemonium, as scores stand packed around the edges of the seating, elbowing each other out of the way for a better view.
It's a relief once the show starts - because you know you won't have to put up with any more of it in 15 minutes' time.
There is lots and lots and LOTS of fur on the runway - in addition to a plethora of dazzling crystal-fringed flapper dresses worn over skinny black cropped trousers.
Another reason why tonight's security may be extra tight is because Naomi Campbell opens and closes the show.
Macdonald, in PETA's view - and as they advertised on his own runway during one show, via one of their famous protests - is "fur scum".
Campbell is apparently worse than fur scum however. She is what the animal rights lobby calls a "fur traitor".
I mean they kind of do have a point: in the early 1990s, Campbell joined a few other naked supes in the famous PETA billboard campaign, "I'd rather go naked than wear fur". Campbell, like Elle Macpherson - a new face of Blackglama - also signed the Models of Compassion petition saying she would never have anything to do with it forthwith.
Yeah, right.
Campbell has long since recanted her anti-fur pledges, claiming she made a "mistake" with PETA.
After the show she gets whisked through the backstage area at lightning speed and I manage to grab a few comments.
"I thought it was beautiful and feminine and made you feel like a woman and sexy and glamorous and elegant" says Campbell of the collection.
Apparently the fur went down well.
And skinny models? I mean I had to ask.
"I think it is not fair to blame our industry for a disease that is psychological" Campbell replies emphatically. "It can happen in any industry. I'm a model, but I think it's really unfair to point the finger particularly at the fashion industry when anorexia, like any other disease, is psychological and it's not fair".
She adds, "And I've never seen size 0 in any clothes in my life, never".
I also manage to throw a couple of questions at front rower Jodie Kidd, not on fur but skinny models, a subject that I figured must surely be close to Kidd's heart.
In the early 1990s, when she started modelling, Kidd's skeletal teenage frame (blamed at one stage on a bout of glandular fever) caused a media furore. She was widely accused at the time of promoting anorexia.
You are the original skinny model - what's your position on the current debate?
Jodie Kidd: Fashion always goes in circles, so whether it's the voluptuous era between my time, before I came in, of Cindy and Helena, then I came in and it was a very androgynous look, it was very Kate, it was very flat-chested... And then it moved to Gisele and the voluptuous ones. So everything moves in this massive circle.
It was a pretty big story at the time for you though.
I was young and that's the thing. They use very young models. I was 15. That was my body shape. And I've only just started growing into my body now and I'm in my late 20s. It's very difficult for me to say something about it because I was being booked as a young girl by the editors, by the designers, by the magazines, to do a job and then we're the one that gets the finger pointed at and we're the ones who get blamed.
They really singled you out.
They did. They also singled out Kate. They singled out a few other people. And now it's gone back and it's Lily (Cole) and a few other girls. We've always been subjected to something along the way. We're just turning up, we're doing a job, we're put into that position by the people that are booking us and paying our fees. So it's kind of very difficult for us to then try and just justify why we've been put into that situation. But you know, it will change. It will change next season I'm sure.
Update (15/02/07):
It was so chaotic backstage last night I didn't try to track down Macdonald, especially having already spoken with Naomi. Besides, Macdonald's response to my fur questions last season was to just completely duck on the issue with a deadpan 'No comment'.
But perhaps Macdonald has suddenly become a bit more bolshy.
Today I noticed a story on the show in one British newspaper. I was craning to read it over someone's shoulder on the Tube, and all I could make out was the word "shocking" - in relation to the show's heavy use of fur - followed by the following response from Macdonald. The quote had in fact been blown up in bold type as the story's headline, so it was a little hard to miss:
(words to the effect) "I think fur is beautiful and anyone who has a problem with that can just p*** off".
Original post and comments.
It's a relief once the show starts - because you know you won't have to put up with any more of it in 15 minutes' time.
There is lots and lots and LOTS of fur on the runway - in addition to a plethora of dazzling crystal-fringed flapper dresses worn over skinny black cropped trousers.
Another reason why tonight's security may be extra tight is because Naomi Campbell opens and closes the show.
Macdonald, in PETA's view - and as they advertised on his own runway during one show, via one of their famous protests - is "fur scum".
Campbell is apparently worse than fur scum however. She is what the animal rights lobby calls a "fur traitor".
I mean they kind of do have a point: in the early 1990s, Campbell joined a few other naked supes in the famous PETA billboard campaign, "I'd rather go naked than wear fur". Campbell, like Elle Macpherson - a new face of Blackglama - also signed the Models of Compassion petition saying she would never have anything to do with it forthwith.
Yeah, right.
Campbell has long since recanted her anti-fur pledges, claiming she made a "mistake" with PETA.
After the show she gets whisked through the backstage area at lightning speed and I manage to grab a few comments.
"I thought it was beautiful and feminine and made you feel like a woman and sexy and glamorous and elegant" says Campbell of the collection.
Apparently the fur went down well.
And skinny models? I mean I had to ask.
"I think it is not fair to blame our industry for a disease that is psychological" Campbell replies emphatically. "It can happen in any industry. I'm a model, but I think it's really unfair to point the finger particularly at the fashion industry when anorexia, like any other disease, is psychological and it's not fair".
She adds, "And I've never seen size 0 in any clothes in my life, never".
I also manage to throw a couple of questions at front rower Jodie Kidd, not on fur but skinny models, a subject that I figured must surely be close to Kidd's heart.
In the early 1990s, when she started modelling, Kidd's skeletal teenage frame (blamed at one stage on a bout of glandular fever) caused a media furore. She was widely accused at the time of promoting anorexia.
You are the original skinny model - what's your position on the current debate?
Jodie Kidd: Fashion always goes in circles, so whether it's the voluptuous era between my time, before I came in, of Cindy and Helena, then I came in and it was a very androgynous look, it was very Kate, it was very flat-chested... And then it moved to Gisele and the voluptuous ones. So everything moves in this massive circle.
It was a pretty big story at the time for you though.
I was young and that's the thing. They use very young models. I was 15. That was my body shape. And I've only just started growing into my body now and I'm in my late 20s. It's very difficult for me to say something about it because I was being booked as a young girl by the editors, by the designers, by the magazines, to do a job and then we're the one that gets the finger pointed at and we're the ones who get blamed.
They really singled you out.
They did. They also singled out Kate. They singled out a few other people. And now it's gone back and it's Lily (Cole) and a few other girls. We've always been subjected to something along the way. We're just turning up, we're doing a job, we're put into that position by the people that are booking us and paying our fees. So it's kind of very difficult for us to then try and just justify why we've been put into that situation. But you know, it will change. It will change next season I'm sure.
Update (15/02/07):
It was so chaotic backstage last night I didn't try to track down Macdonald, especially having already spoken with Naomi. Besides, Macdonald's response to my fur questions last season was to just completely duck on the issue with a deadpan 'No comment'.
But perhaps Macdonald has suddenly become a bit more bolshy.
Today I noticed a story on the show in one British newspaper. I was craning to read it over someone's shoulder on the Tube, and all I could make out was the word "shocking" - in relation to the show's heavy use of fur - followed by the following response from Macdonald. The quote had in fact been blown up in bold type as the story's headline, so it was a little hard to miss:
(words to the effect) "I think fur is beautiful and anyone who has a problem with that can just p*** off".
Original post and comments.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
PETA dishes dirt on fur scum - denies plants a central nervous system
Fashion Season has had a few close verbal encounters with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) over the years, on the occasion of some fur flare-up or other. We have however never previously witnessed any full-scale PETA assaults. Until now.
Having already been a PETA target, Julien MacDonald obviously wasn't taking any chances on Friday in London. The security seemed far stricter than usual, policing the entree to the Hilton's ballroom. In fact, I almost did not make it in.
Although having been invited by phone by the head publicist and assured I would be on the guest list, I arrived to discover a door PR who could not locate my name on her list and who was not about to give me the benefit of the doubt by letting me in, no
siree – or check with anybody else.
"I'm sorry, you're not on the list" she said, blankly.
"Oh come through, yes of course, you're on the seating list!" said the head PR, who suddenly arrived on the scene.
There seemed to be quite a few people in a similar situation, because a bottleneck swiftly developed at the entrance.
While waiting, I noticed a large table against one wall, behind which dozens of water bottles had been tossed. It looked like the recently beefed-up security checkpoints in the departure lounges of all flights heading to the US or UK, in the wake of the recent arrests in London. The temperature was sweltering, and the ballroom, packed.
Apparently MacDonald's security retinue had similar fears to the airport personnel: that the bottles could be used as missiles. I'm not sure they assumed liquid explosive could also be engineered, but look I could be wrong.
At the end of show, MacDonald walked to take his bow. But while John Galliano traditionally walks to take his show bows flanked by four beefy male security guards – anti-PETA protection, apparently – MacDonald walked to the end of his flanked by four models. Hiding behind them, it almost seemed. I guess if one of them cops it with a water bottle, that's OK by MacDonald.
Then the sound of a very loud bang ricocheted across the ballroom.
In all seriousness, I thought, "Holy shit, they were closely monitoring the Evian situation, but forgot to check for Glocks. Some nutter's snuck one in".
When gold and silver confetti started to rain down it became abundantly clear that the sound had been merely a glitter cannon. I breathed a sigh of relief.
But that relief momentarily turned to angst again at yesterday's Burberry show in Milan.
Just metres in front of me, three PETA protestors emerged from nowhere to leap on to the runway and hold up "Burberry: fur shame" banners. The models barely flinched (I guess they're used to it by now). I didn't clock the look on the faces of fur-loving Vogue editrixes Anna Wintour and Carine Roitfeld, who were just on the other side of the runway, but in any event it would have been hard to read Wintour as she was sporting ginormous sunnies.
Security guards sprang into action, grabbed the anti-fur troika and hauled them off into the aisle directly next to where I was sitting.
I watched as one blonde protestor lay there completely immobile, as if in a catatonic state, with hands crossed across her chest. She was looking directly up towards the ceiling, as if praying to the God of mink: "Please get me out of here in one piece."
Whatever your stance on fur, you have to admit, it's still a pretty gutsy thing to do. You attempt to get into a show without a ticket, let alone launching yourself directly in front of Lily Donaldson et al's money shots at the end of the runway.
I offered MacDonald the opportunity to talk about PETA but he declined. Fair enough.
I offered the same to the Burberry designer Christopher Bailey, but all he would say, before shutting me down was the following, in response to the question, "How do you like being called 'fur scum'"?
"It's not very nice," said Bailey.
The only person who would talk to me about it was someone claiming to be a PETA representative, outside the Hilton hotel on Friday night. So here's the Q&A for what it's worth.
SO PETA SUCCESSFULLY MANAGED TO INFILTRATE A JULIEN MACDONALD SHOW LAST YEAR?
Anita Singh, PETA campaign coordinator: Those were PETA activists who were just appalled at Julien MacDonald's disgraceful, continuous use of fur, despite the many times that we have sent him information about animals actually being skinned alive for their pelts. The North American fur farms and the European fur farms, basically the best way that they kill animals is through anal electrocution. That's no better than swinging a dog through the air.
YES BUT JUST TO PLAY DEVIL'S ADVOCATE HERE, IF YOU EAT MEAT, THOSE ANIMALS ARE OFTEN ELECTROCUTED AS WELL.
I think that a lot of the animals that are raised for fur, are certainly not being eaten.
YES I UNDERSTAND, BUT WHAT I AM SAYING IS, THAT FOR PEOPLE WHO DO EAT MEAT, THEY WOULD – ONE WOULD ASSUME – ACCEPT THAT THE ANIMALS THEY ARE EATING HAVE BEEN KILLED IN ABATTOIRS. IF YOU DON'T EAT MEAT AND DON'T BELIEVE THAT ANIMALS SHOULD BE KILLED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW THE FACT THAT THEY ARE ELECTROCUTED SEEMS SHOCKING. KILLING AN ANIMAL IS STILL KILLING AN ANIMAL. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE HERE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IS THAT KILLING AN ANIMAL FOR FUR IS SIMPLY IN ORDER TO CREATE A LUXURY PRODUCT?
PETA advocate for vegetarianism. We advocate for a compassionate diet that extends tO ...
YOU DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE RAISING SHEEP EITHER DO YOU?
Well I think that the way people look at these things these days, it's a little bit different. Sheep aren't raised in a backyard where they're happy and they're allowed to live within their families and they interact with humans. They're raised in factory farming conditions.
REALLY? HAVE YOU BEEN TO AUSTRALIA OR NEW ZEALAND LATELY?
Well it depends on exactly where you are. But in Australia one of the worst abuses is mulesing.
YES BUT AREN'T THEY WORKING THAT OUT?
Exactly, we're working with them to sort that out and the other thing that they do is live exports. So once the wool production of these sheep wanes, they're then put on these death ships where they're carted off thousands of miles without food or water so obviously that is animal cruelty and that's why we will continue to advocate vegetarianism ...
SO HAS THE SECURITY STEPPED UP AT SHOWS LIKE THESE VIS-A-VIS PETA?
Well no we've been out here for the last two hours and all the security guards have taken leaflets. They've been reading about it.
YES BUT THIS IS A PUBLIC SPACE, THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU HERE.
No of course they can't. We're here to inform people who are going into the show about what they're about to see. If there is no fur in this collection we want to inform them that while Julien is showing his summer collection, there are animals being raised on fur farms right now that will be part of his winter collection.
IS HE THE ONLY BRITISH DESIGNER WHO USES A LOT OF FUR?
He's one of the most notorious and he likes to flaunt it and he's very proud of the fact that he advocates anal electrocution, gassing, strangling small tiny ...
DOES HE ACTUALLY SAY THAT IN HIS ADVERTISING MATERIAL?
Well we constantly send him material to let him know what he is perpetuating and that is, cruelty to animals. And he is completely defending it through and through. Most people don't like strangling and torturing small defenceless animals but Julien MacDonald seems to take pleasure in it.
WHAT ABOUT THE ALLEGED LINKS BETWEEN PETA AND SOME RATHER MORE EXTREME FACTIONS OF THE ANIMAL RIGHTS MOVEMENT?
I think that in every social movement, you're going to have groups that take things to another extreme because they're so frustrated.
THEY'VE BEEN CALLED "ECO-TERRORISTS".
Well PETA, we don't employ those tactics. PETA work on a completely different level. We work through legislation, we work through brilliant, theatre-style demonstrations, as you can see we're out here today ... informing people.
THERE WAS ONE VERY FAMOUS CASE OF AN EXECUTIVE WHO WORKED AT A UK LABORATORY WHICH CONDUCTED ANIMAL-TESTING. HE WAS SEVERELY BEATEN BY ONE GROUP.
I've never actually heard of that. I've certainly not heard of anyone in the animal liberation movement harming another animal. I think that the main point of the animal rights movement is protection of all animals, whether they stand on two legs or on four. And we certainly, whether it be PETA or whether it be the ... or whether it be any group that is protecting animals, they certainly don't want to see any human harmed and that's certainly not the point of this movement. It's a compassionate movement and it's compassionate towards all animals. You and I are also included whether we have a tail or not.
ARE YOU WEARING ANY LEATHER?
No definitely not.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T WEAR FUR BUT WEARS LEATHER SHOES? AREN'T THEY STILL A PARTY TO KILLING ANIMALS FOR A LUXURY PRODUCT?
Do you know what, the more I found out about it, before I knew what was involved in the leather production and the meat industry, I myself years and years ago would wear leather shoes without knowing and I think that's the thing. We really need to inform people that there's no difference between wearing leather and wearing fur. It's still the skin of an animal and there's no kind way to rip the skin off any animal's back, whether it be a cow or whether it be a fox.
HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED THAT THE THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN WHO DIE EVERY DAY FROM STARVATION MIGHT BE A BIGGER CAUSE?
I think that there are so many worthy causes. I think that there are so many children and animals suffering that we shouldn't forgo saving the lives of animals ...
THE ANIMAL RIGHTS MOVEMENT SEEMS AT TIMES TO BE MORE VISIBLE THAN THE HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
I think that all life is precious and all life should be protected and we should not turn a blind eye to suffering, whether it be for children or whether it be for animals. So there are a lot of people who advocate for children and those people are compassionate on both sides.
WHAT FLAVOUR CREAM PIE DOES PETA LIKE TO THROW AT ANNA WINTOUR?
A tofu cream pie.
SO NO ANIMAL INGREDIENTS?
There's no animal ingredients in anything that PETA uses.
WHAT ABOUT FRUITARIANS THOUGH – THE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE FRUIT AND VEGETABLES HAVE BEEN MURDERED UNLESS THEY HAVE FALLEN OFF THE TREE?
Certainly PETA doesn't ... we're not fruitarians. Plants don't have a central nervous system.
REALLY? I'M SURE SOME PEOPLE WOULD ARGUE WITH YOU ON THAT POINT. DEFINITELY THE FRUITARIANS WOULD HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT.
Some people might. But that is not what we are about. We are about alleviating cruelty to animals and any way that we can do that and the higher the profile that we can raise for them, that is exactly what we are trying to do.
WHAT ABOUT CRUELTY TO ANNA WINTOUR?
Well cruelty to Anna Wintour ... Again, we've advised her many, many times about the pages in Vogue. I mean, we have offered to pay the same price as the fur industry for pages in her magazine and she has turned us down. That can only mean that she blatantly wants to ...
BUT THAT'S HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN ADVERTISING.
We have offered Anna Wintour. We have said, "Would you even consider this?" And she said, "No." Because she doesn't want to have anything to do with anti-fur.
YES BUT PROBABLY THE REAL REASON WHY SHE SAID NO IS BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THAT ONCE SHE LETS YOU ADVERTISE, THEN SHE'LL BE OBLIGED TO PLUG YOUR PRODUCTS ON HER EDITORIAL PAGES. THAT'S HOW IT WORKS IN THE GLOSSIES.
Well we have tried to inform her many, many times but she continues to allow an industry that has blood on its hands, that basically makes its money from torturing small animals ...
REPORTEDLY SHE TORTURES HER ASSISTANTS. SO I DON'T THINK SHE'S MAKING MUCH OF AN EXCEPTION WITH ANIMALS.
Well apparently. I can't comment on that. I don't know the woman. But I have flipped through the pages of Vogue and it's shocking to see the blood on every single page. It takes tens of animals, sometimes up to 60 or 80 mink to make one fur coat. That's 80 lives. Each one representing an animal that didn't want to die any more that you and I would want to. And so Anna Wintour is definitely somebody in her position in fashion, she should be setting a better example than the one she is. And in this day and age, I think the point is, this is the 20th century, we're not cavemen. We don't need animals skins.
THE CAVEMAN LOOK WAS ALL OVER THE WINTER RUNWAYS. PRADA'S 'SAUVAGE' FUR COATS ETC ...
Well I think designers are constantly trying to be outrageous. But if they were true visionaries they would come up with creative designs, like Stella McCartney, who is extremely popular and extremely successful. They would come up with designs that don't harm a hair on any animal. Some of her best friends ... Sadie Frost, she wears all of Stella's stuff. In fact she just did an anti-fur campaign for us just the other day. She launched one and she was wearing Stella McCartney's clothes and she looked brilliant. Most celebrities these days love Stella McCartney's clothes and again, Stella McCartney is a compassionate person, she wouldn't use leather and she certainly doesn't use fur. And she certainly hasn't made a name off any animal's back. She's done it off her own skin.
SO SHE'S NOT FUR SCUM?
She's definitely not fur scum.
Original post and comments.
Having already been a PETA target, Julien MacDonald obviously wasn't taking any chances on Friday in London. The security seemed far stricter than usual, policing the entree to the Hilton's ballroom. In fact, I almost did not make it in.
Although having been invited by phone by the head publicist and assured I would be on the guest list, I arrived to discover a door PR who could not locate my name on her list and who was not about to give me the benefit of the doubt by letting me in, no
siree – or check with anybody else.
"I'm sorry, you're not on the list" she said, blankly.
"Oh come through, yes of course, you're on the seating list!" said the head PR, who suddenly arrived on the scene.
There seemed to be quite a few people in a similar situation, because a bottleneck swiftly developed at the entrance.
While waiting, I noticed a large table against one wall, behind which dozens of water bottles had been tossed. It looked like the recently beefed-up security checkpoints in the departure lounges of all flights heading to the US or UK, in the wake of the recent arrests in London. The temperature was sweltering, and the ballroom, packed.
Apparently MacDonald's security retinue had similar fears to the airport personnel: that the bottles could be used as missiles. I'm not sure they assumed liquid explosive could also be engineered, but look I could be wrong.
At the end of show, MacDonald walked to take his bow. But while John Galliano traditionally walks to take his show bows flanked by four beefy male security guards – anti-PETA protection, apparently – MacDonald walked to the end of his flanked by four models. Hiding behind them, it almost seemed. I guess if one of them cops it with a water bottle, that's OK by MacDonald.
Then the sound of a very loud bang ricocheted across the ballroom.
In all seriousness, I thought, "Holy shit, they were closely monitoring the Evian situation, but forgot to check for Glocks. Some nutter's snuck one in".
When gold and silver confetti started to rain down it became abundantly clear that the sound had been merely a glitter cannon. I breathed a sigh of relief.
But that relief momentarily turned to angst again at yesterday's Burberry show in Milan.
Just metres in front of me, three PETA protestors emerged from nowhere to leap on to the runway and hold up "Burberry: fur shame" banners. The models barely flinched (I guess they're used to it by now). I didn't clock the look on the faces of fur-loving Vogue editrixes Anna Wintour and Carine Roitfeld, who were just on the other side of the runway, but in any event it would have been hard to read Wintour as she was sporting ginormous sunnies.
Security guards sprang into action, grabbed the anti-fur troika and hauled them off into the aisle directly next to where I was sitting.
I watched as one blonde protestor lay there completely immobile, as if in a catatonic state, with hands crossed across her chest. She was looking directly up towards the ceiling, as if praying to the God of mink: "Please get me out of here in one piece."
Whatever your stance on fur, you have to admit, it's still a pretty gutsy thing to do. You attempt to get into a show without a ticket, let alone launching yourself directly in front of Lily Donaldson et al's money shots at the end of the runway.
I offered MacDonald the opportunity to talk about PETA but he declined. Fair enough.
I offered the same to the Burberry designer Christopher Bailey, but all he would say, before shutting me down was the following, in response to the question, "How do you like being called 'fur scum'"?
"It's not very nice," said Bailey.
The only person who would talk to me about it was someone claiming to be a PETA representative, outside the Hilton hotel on Friday night. So here's the Q&A for what it's worth.
SO PETA SUCCESSFULLY MANAGED TO INFILTRATE A JULIEN MACDONALD SHOW LAST YEAR?
Anita Singh, PETA campaign coordinator: Those were PETA activists who were just appalled at Julien MacDonald's disgraceful, continuous use of fur, despite the many times that we have sent him information about animals actually being skinned alive for their pelts. The North American fur farms and the European fur farms, basically the best way that they kill animals is through anal electrocution. That's no better than swinging a dog through the air.
YES BUT JUST TO PLAY DEVIL'S ADVOCATE HERE, IF YOU EAT MEAT, THOSE ANIMALS ARE OFTEN ELECTROCUTED AS WELL.
I think that a lot of the animals that are raised for fur, are certainly not being eaten.
YES I UNDERSTAND, BUT WHAT I AM SAYING IS, THAT FOR PEOPLE WHO DO EAT MEAT, THEY WOULD – ONE WOULD ASSUME – ACCEPT THAT THE ANIMALS THEY ARE EATING HAVE BEEN KILLED IN ABATTOIRS. IF YOU DON'T EAT MEAT AND DON'T BELIEVE THAT ANIMALS SHOULD BE KILLED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW THE FACT THAT THEY ARE ELECTROCUTED SEEMS SHOCKING. KILLING AN ANIMAL IS STILL KILLING AN ANIMAL. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE HERE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IS THAT KILLING AN ANIMAL FOR FUR IS SIMPLY IN ORDER TO CREATE A LUXURY PRODUCT?
PETA advocate for vegetarianism. We advocate for a compassionate diet that extends tO ...
YOU DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE RAISING SHEEP EITHER DO YOU?
Well I think that the way people look at these things these days, it's a little bit different. Sheep aren't raised in a backyard where they're happy and they're allowed to live within their families and they interact with humans. They're raised in factory farming conditions.
REALLY? HAVE YOU BEEN TO AUSTRALIA OR NEW ZEALAND LATELY?
Well it depends on exactly where you are. But in Australia one of the worst abuses is mulesing.
YES BUT AREN'T THEY WORKING THAT OUT?
Exactly, we're working with them to sort that out and the other thing that they do is live exports. So once the wool production of these sheep wanes, they're then put on these death ships where they're carted off thousands of miles without food or water so obviously that is animal cruelty and that's why we will continue to advocate vegetarianism ...
SO HAS THE SECURITY STEPPED UP AT SHOWS LIKE THESE VIS-A-VIS PETA?
Well no we've been out here for the last two hours and all the security guards have taken leaflets. They've been reading about it.
YES BUT THIS IS A PUBLIC SPACE, THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU HERE.
No of course they can't. We're here to inform people who are going into the show about what they're about to see. If there is no fur in this collection we want to inform them that while Julien is showing his summer collection, there are animals being raised on fur farms right now that will be part of his winter collection.
IS HE THE ONLY BRITISH DESIGNER WHO USES A LOT OF FUR?
He's one of the most notorious and he likes to flaunt it and he's very proud of the fact that he advocates anal electrocution, gassing, strangling small tiny ...
DOES HE ACTUALLY SAY THAT IN HIS ADVERTISING MATERIAL?
Well we constantly send him material to let him know what he is perpetuating and that is, cruelty to animals. And he is completely defending it through and through. Most people don't like strangling and torturing small defenceless animals but Julien MacDonald seems to take pleasure in it.
WHAT ABOUT THE ALLEGED LINKS BETWEEN PETA AND SOME RATHER MORE EXTREME FACTIONS OF THE ANIMAL RIGHTS MOVEMENT?
I think that in every social movement, you're going to have groups that take things to another extreme because they're so frustrated.
THEY'VE BEEN CALLED "ECO-TERRORISTS".
Well PETA, we don't employ those tactics. PETA work on a completely different level. We work through legislation, we work through brilliant, theatre-style demonstrations, as you can see we're out here today ... informing people.
THERE WAS ONE VERY FAMOUS CASE OF AN EXECUTIVE WHO WORKED AT A UK LABORATORY WHICH CONDUCTED ANIMAL-TESTING. HE WAS SEVERELY BEATEN BY ONE GROUP.
I've never actually heard of that. I've certainly not heard of anyone in the animal liberation movement harming another animal. I think that the main point of the animal rights movement is protection of all animals, whether they stand on two legs or on four. And we certainly, whether it be PETA or whether it be the ... or whether it be any group that is protecting animals, they certainly don't want to see any human harmed and that's certainly not the point of this movement. It's a compassionate movement and it's compassionate towards all animals. You and I are also included whether we have a tail or not.
ARE YOU WEARING ANY LEATHER?
No definitely not.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T WEAR FUR BUT WEARS LEATHER SHOES? AREN'T THEY STILL A PARTY TO KILLING ANIMALS FOR A LUXURY PRODUCT?
Do you know what, the more I found out about it, before I knew what was involved in the leather production and the meat industry, I myself years and years ago would wear leather shoes without knowing and I think that's the thing. We really need to inform people that there's no difference between wearing leather and wearing fur. It's still the skin of an animal and there's no kind way to rip the skin off any animal's back, whether it be a cow or whether it be a fox.
HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED THAT THE THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN WHO DIE EVERY DAY FROM STARVATION MIGHT BE A BIGGER CAUSE?
I think that there are so many worthy causes. I think that there are so many children and animals suffering that we shouldn't forgo saving the lives of animals ...
THE ANIMAL RIGHTS MOVEMENT SEEMS AT TIMES TO BE MORE VISIBLE THAN THE HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
I think that all life is precious and all life should be protected and we should not turn a blind eye to suffering, whether it be for children or whether it be for animals. So there are a lot of people who advocate for children and those people are compassionate on both sides.
WHAT FLAVOUR CREAM PIE DOES PETA LIKE TO THROW AT ANNA WINTOUR?
A tofu cream pie.
SO NO ANIMAL INGREDIENTS?
There's no animal ingredients in anything that PETA uses.
WHAT ABOUT FRUITARIANS THOUGH – THE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE FRUIT AND VEGETABLES HAVE BEEN MURDERED UNLESS THEY HAVE FALLEN OFF THE TREE?
Certainly PETA doesn't ... we're not fruitarians. Plants don't have a central nervous system.
REALLY? I'M SURE SOME PEOPLE WOULD ARGUE WITH YOU ON THAT POINT. DEFINITELY THE FRUITARIANS WOULD HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT.
Some people might. But that is not what we are about. We are about alleviating cruelty to animals and any way that we can do that and the higher the profile that we can raise for them, that is exactly what we are trying to do.
WHAT ABOUT CRUELTY TO ANNA WINTOUR?
Well cruelty to Anna Wintour ... Again, we've advised her many, many times about the pages in Vogue. I mean, we have offered to pay the same price as the fur industry for pages in her magazine and she has turned us down. That can only mean that she blatantly wants to ...
BUT THAT'S HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN ADVERTISING.
We have offered Anna Wintour. We have said, "Would you even consider this?" And she said, "No." Because she doesn't want to have anything to do with anti-fur.
YES BUT PROBABLY THE REAL REASON WHY SHE SAID NO IS BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THAT ONCE SHE LETS YOU ADVERTISE, THEN SHE'LL BE OBLIGED TO PLUG YOUR PRODUCTS ON HER EDITORIAL PAGES. THAT'S HOW IT WORKS IN THE GLOSSIES.
Well we have tried to inform her many, many times but she continues to allow an industry that has blood on its hands, that basically makes its money from torturing small animals ...
REPORTEDLY SHE TORTURES HER ASSISTANTS. SO I DON'T THINK SHE'S MAKING MUCH OF AN EXCEPTION WITH ANIMALS.
Well apparently. I can't comment on that. I don't know the woman. But I have flipped through the pages of Vogue and it's shocking to see the blood on every single page. It takes tens of animals, sometimes up to 60 or 80 mink to make one fur coat. That's 80 lives. Each one representing an animal that didn't want to die any more that you and I would want to. And so Anna Wintour is definitely somebody in her position in fashion, she should be setting a better example than the one she is. And in this day and age, I think the point is, this is the 20th century, we're not cavemen. We don't need animals skins.
THE CAVEMAN LOOK WAS ALL OVER THE WINTER RUNWAYS. PRADA'S 'SAUVAGE' FUR COATS ETC ...
Well I think designers are constantly trying to be outrageous. But if they were true visionaries they would come up with creative designs, like Stella McCartney, who is extremely popular and extremely successful. They would come up with designs that don't harm a hair on any animal. Some of her best friends ... Sadie Frost, she wears all of Stella's stuff. In fact she just did an anti-fur campaign for us just the other day. She launched one and she was wearing Stella McCartney's clothes and she looked brilliant. Most celebrities these days love Stella McCartney's clothes and again, Stella McCartney is a compassionate person, she wouldn't use leather and she certainly doesn't use fur. And she certainly hasn't made a name off any animal's back. She's done it off her own skin.
SO SHE'S NOT FUR SCUM?
She's definitely not fur scum.
Original post and comments.
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