Victory! Express Ditches Alpaca Fleece After PETA Appeal

For Immediate Release:
June 9, 2021

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

After PETA shared a first-of-its-kind exposé revealing that crying alpacas were roughly shorn, cut open, and left bleeding from deep wounds, fashion retailer Express has confirmed that it no longer uses alpaca fleece. In thanks, PETA is sending the company a box of delicious vegan chocolates.

“Just like us, alpacas cry out when they’re afraid, are very protective of their young, and even hum to express emotions,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “To celebrate this decision that recognizes alpacas as individuals who should never be used for sweaters, everyone at PETA is raising a glass for Express.”

PETA’s investigation shows that workers slammed alpacas—some of whom were pregnant—onto tables, tied them tightly by the legs to a rack, and pulled hard, nearly wrenching their legs out of their sockets. The terrified animals spit, cried out, and vomited in fear as workers grabbed them by the ears, roughly sheared them, crudely stitched up their bloody cuts with a needle and thread, and threw them to the concrete floor.

Express previously banned angora and mohair after PETA exposés of horrific cruelty and subsequent appeals. The company now joins Lands’ End, Williams Sonoma, UNIQLO, Esprit, Ann Taylor, LOFT, Columbia, and many other brands in banning alpaca—and PETA is calling on Anthropologie to follow suit.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. Photos from the investigation are available here. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.