Fashion, Animal Rights, and Sustainability: Where Do We Stand?

The article examines the evolving relationship between fashion, animal rights, and sustainability. It recalls activist Marina Ripa di Meana burning her fur coat at La Scala in 1996 for IFAW. Giorgio Armani eliminated fur from his Autumn/Winter 2017 collection, followed by Gucci (Spring/Summer 2018, per CEO Marco Bizzarri), Michael Kors, Versace, and Chanel. However, luxury brands still use exotic skins (reptiles, ostriches, crocodiles, lizards). Leather producers claim they use byproducts of the meat industry, but animal rights groups argue this indirectly pressures farmers to slaughter more animals. Animals used include cows, pigs, sheep, goats, alligators, ostriches, kangaroos, dogs, cats, horses, lambs, zebras, water buffalo, wild boar, elephants, moose, dolphins, seals, walruses, frogs, turtles, crocodiles, lizards, and snakes. Wealthy clients can visit crocodile farms to select animals for handbags. Nike announced it will stop using kangaroo leather. Ethical alternatives include recycled leather, second-hand, vintage, upcycled materials, and innovative materials like Pinatex, Vegea, Apple Skin, and Orange Fiber. Stella McCartney uses recycled polyester. The article notes that even plastic can be transformed into 'extremely cool' materials.