UPDATE: Gucci Bans Angora Wool After PETA Exposé
After being contacted by PETA, Gucci—which went fur-free in 2017 after more than 20 years of PETA protests—has banned angora wool. The move comes after a PETA exposé revealed that live rabbits’ hair is ripped out on angora farms as the animals scream in pain.
Gucci has taken an important step toward eliminating cruelty in its designs by banning angora wool. Gentle rabbits won’t suffer for any more of the company’s sweaters, and PETA encourages other high-end designers to follow this lead.
Most rabbits used for angora are stretched across boards before their hair is ripped out every three months. Others are tied up before their hair is cut or sheared, and their delicate skin is cut open by the sharp tools as they struggle desperately to escape.
Gucci joins hundreds of other top brands—including Anthropologie, ASOS, BCBG Max Azria, Calvin Klein, Gap, and Ralph Lauren—that have committed to not selling fur or angora items after hearing from PETA.
Originally posted on October 11, 2017:
You sometimes have to hit a stone over and over and over again before it cracks. Well, Gucci has finally cracked!
After pressuring Gucci to drop fur for over 20 years, PETA can report that the company will be completely fur-free very soon.
The news story broke at this year’s Kering Talk at the London College of Fashion, where Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri announced that the fur-free policy will begin with the company’s 2018 spring collection.
“Today the world is changing so fast, it’s not even an option not to change,” Bizzarri stated during his announcement. “We are not perfect, but we are doing our best to improve what we are doing.” Indeed, change and moral progress are inevitable as decent people realize that it’s wrong to ignore the suffering of sentient beings, regardless of species.
The new ban is set to include minks, coyotes, raccoon dogs, foxes, rabbits, and other animals senselessly slaughtered for their fur.
In recent years, hundreds of other major fashion brands have ditched fur, including Armani, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, and Tommy Hilfiger.
For over two decades, PETA has publicly and relentlessly targeted Gucci for its use of fur.
Whether it was the company’s loafers laced with kangaroo fur or its seal-fur boots, PETA and other activists have gone after Gucci for supporting cruelty to animals.
In one of our more cheeky moments, the day before a PETA demonstration against Gucci some years ago, an unidentified activist doused Gucci designer Tom Ford with tomato juice to protest fur.
Gucci will soon be part of a more compassionate, sustainable future. Other famous designers—such as Armani, Jimmy Choo, and Michael Kors—have banned fur from their collections. Tell Canada Goose to do the same:
Until all animal skins and coats have been banned from clothing stores everywhere, PETA will continue to push for cruelty-free progress throughout the fashion industry.
Animals are not clothing.
Never wear fur, and speak out against companies that sell animal parts. Every fur coat, trinket, and bit of trim caused animals tremendous suffering—and took their lives. Proudly rock our “Fur is Dead” shirt to spread the message.
