Anna Dello Russo Withdraws Fur Coats From Auction, Donates Them to PETA U.K.
Style Icon Gives Garments to Group’s Fur Amnesty Program
For Immediate Release:
February 22, 2018
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Style icon Anna Dello Russo has withdrawn all fur coats from sale in her archive auction with Christie’s Milan on February 24 and will instead donate the pieces to PETA U.K.’s fur amnesty program. The group wrote to her in January requesting the donation. It plans to use the coats in high-profile educational displays to highlight the plight of animals killed for their fur or as bedding for sick and orphaned animals in sanctuaries.
“The fashion community is increasingly moving away from fur—and so am I,” says Anna Dello Russo. “This auction is about passing my heritage on to the next generation—but as someone who cares about animals, I no longer feel comfortable passing these fur garments on to others. Instead, I’ve decided to donate them to PETA to ensure they’re used in a meaningful way to help animals.”
“Anna Dello Russo’s coats will be gratefully received,” says PETA U.K. Director Elisa Allen. “When people learn about the pain that animals endure at the hands of the fur industry, they often choose to send their fur items to PETA U.K. so that we can use them in educational displays that help prevent more animals from suffering for fashion.”
PETA U.K.—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—notes that on fur farms, inquisitive and normally free-roaming animals such as foxes, minks, and chinchillas spend their entire lives confined to tiny, filthy wire cages and are often killed by electrocution, neck-breaking, or drowning. Because of the cruelty involved in fur production, many luxury fashion brands—including Giorgio Armani, Jimmy Choo, Gucci, and Michael Kors—have recently implemented fur-free policies.
Anna Dello Russo joins a long list of former fur-wearers who have donated their coats to PETA U.K. or its affiliates, including Anjelica Huston, Mariah Carey, Kim Cattrall, Mary Tyler Moore, and Sharon Osbourne.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
