Recently, Gucci announced that the company would no longer use fur in their products, taking effect in their SS18 collection. This is a huge step for the company in terms of ending animal cruelty. Fashion companies exploit animals to horrific extents for their products. Activist groups like PETA has raised awareness to these inhumane conditions. Gucci is a well-known brand and one of the few fashion brands to adopt this policy. Hopefully, this will begin a trend, and other brands will follow suit.
Many would think that the majority of people in the fashion world would be against animal cruelty.
The problem is a lot of people who purchase products that involve animal cruelty are unaware of the extent that these animals are tortured. Here are some of the reasons why fashion companies use animals for their products and how they do it.
Fur and leather
The fur and leather of animals are valuable commodities. Companies create fur farms where animals are raised to die. These farms have conditions comparable to meat production farms. Animals live in confined areas, causing physical and mental distress. When the animal is ready to be skinned, it is killed by electrocution or neck-breaking. These methods of killing are chosen in order to minimize damage to the fur. To cut costs, animals are not given any anesthetics, and it is common for animals to be skinned while still conscious.
Approximately 35 animals are killed just to make a single coat. Imagine how many animals it takes for a company to stock their products. Recent studies discovered that about 80% of minks harvested for their fur are from fur farms. These statistics show just how many animals are needed to produce fur coats.
Cosmetics
Many countries have disapproved or outlawed testing cosmetics on animals but, this has not stopped major makeup companies.
Companies such as Cover Girl, Maybelline, and L’Oreal found ways to employ animal testing for their products legally. Mice, birds, rabbits, monkeys, dogs, and cats are some of the victims used in these inhumane tests. Live testing makeup on animals can cause infections, poisoning, burning skin, brain damage, blinding, maiming and other painful side effects.
What you can do
The key step you can take is to inform yourself which brands test on animals. Do not give them your business and speak out against these terrible acts. There are cruelty-free alternatives as well. Instead of buying fur coats, buy faux(fake fur) coats. Buy cruelty-free makeup to avoid being compliant with animal testing. There are ways to avoid being apart of the Animal Abuse in the fashion industry. It is up to you to take that step and denounce brands that do not change.
