“Turn away from fur” campaign in new edition

“Turn away from fur” campaign is an initiative led by the PETA organization. Its goal is to promote awareness of the ethical and environmental aspects of fur farming and the Encouraging people to stop wearing clothing made from natural animal fur. It was first presented to the world by models from Boss Models Worldwide on a “live billboard” on October 30, 1996. More recently, PETA has also aimed to make other animal-derived materials, such as Wool, leather and down, as unacceptable as fur. The organization is reaching back to its former campaign in an effort to draw attention again to the conditions under which animals are raised and slaughtered.

Humanitarianism, and fashion

, “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals”. – is the full name of an international non-governmental organization whose main goal is to protect animal rights. It is known for its provocative and controversial activities to attract public attention and draw attention to existing problems of animal exploitation. In 1980, the year of its founding, fur was still a status symbol. “Everyone aspired to have fur.” – recalls Ingrid Newkirk, co-founder of the organization. “But that’s in the past now.”

Calvin Klein was one of the first major fashion brands to abandon fur. And all this after PETA stormed its New York office in 1994. That same year, it published content advertising “Turn away from fur” campaigns, where supermodels claimed they would rather walk naked than wear fur. Social media and a broader cultural conversation about ethical consumption pushed this even further. Gucci in 2017 announced that fur is passé. And in 2021, its parent company Kering abandoned fur altogether, joining the ranks of luxury brands from Chanel to Versace.

Although brands are still using fur, its sale is already slowly being treated as something inappropriate. In some countries, such as California and Israel is even illegal. However, when it was an insignificant part of the business of most companies, leather products are driving sales in the industry. So it seems that this time PETA has an even bigger nut to crack.

“Turn away from fur. And from wool, leather, down…”

In recent years we have seen Growing awareness and interest in animal protection in the apparel industry. Many companies and designers are taking steps to reduce or completely eliminate leather, wool and down products from their collections. Yet for the vast majority of brands, abandoning leather or wool is not a good idea. Several upscale companies that have pledged to give up fur have ignored activists’ calls to do the same even for exotic skins such as crocodile, snake and ostrich, not to mention cowhide.

Also for many consumers, use of wool and leather seems less controversial than fur or exotic skins. Many people think that leather from cows and sheep is not a product for which animals are bred solely for leather, unlike animals such as mink or crocodiles. However, PETA says that this industry is just as cruel and threatens the welfare of the animals that are part of it.

Despite the development of alternative synthetic materials, it is actually consumers who have a significant impact on the decisions made by fashion brands. By making informed purchasing choices, voicing their opinions and supporting a brand that takes pro-animal actions, they can influence the transformation of the fashion industry. “We are working hard to wake people up,” – Newkirk said. “Fur is now obvious, leather more and more… wool is the most difficult.” The “Turn away from fur” campaign is a reminder that since fur is gone, other materials have a chance too.