As part of a new-fangled campaign by the Fur Free Alliance
(FFA), the international animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS is calling on
the luxury label Prada to finally do without real fur.
Competitors such as Gucci, Versace, Armani, Michael Kors,
Donna Karan and HUGO BOSS are already pioneers when it comes to fur-free
fashion. From September 6th - the opening day of New York Fashion Week - FOUR
PAWS and other FFA animal welfare organizations are calling on supporters
worldwide to use protest emails and phone calls to get Prada to rethink.
As a member of the Fur At liberty Alliance, an international
coalition of 40 animal welfare organizations that represents millions of
supporters worldwide, FOUR PAWS calls on Prada to become part of the fur-free
fashion movement. The start of the Technique Week season in New York, where all
eyes are on the big fashion houses, is an ideal time for Prada to set an
example.
“Shortly before the start of the four big fashion weeks in
New York, London, Milan and Paris, we draw attention to Prada's fur policy. We
want to encourage Prada to also secure a pioneering role in avoiding real fur.
More and more large fashion houses are replacing fur with innovative,
alternative materials that are cruelty-free, ”says Thomas Pietsch, wildlife
expert at FOUR PAWS.
Animal fur in fashion is no longer
"en vogue"
The majority of consumers do not want to have anything to do
with the fur trade, and some big fashion brands have already announced that
they will stop using real fur in the future. Countries like Norway, the
Netherlands and Belgium distance themselves from cruelty to animals by banning
fur farming. Big cities like San Francisco and São Paulo have also banned the
sale of fur. The sale of fur is now also to be banned in Los Angeles, as is the
case in Great Britain, where a ban on fur farming was introduced in 2000.
“Consumers support companies that are committed to
protecting animals. This is why many of Prada's competitors are already
fur-free. Prada should join other leading brands and do without fur instead of
supporting the extreme animal suffering in the fur trade ”, says the chairman
of the Fur Free Alliance, Joh Vinding.
The dire effects of the fur industry
Wild animals on fur farms spend their entire lives in
cramped cages, so they lack the ability to develop natural behavior.
Ultimately, they are cruelly killed. In the wild, the animals are trapped for
days with no food or water until fur trappers come to fetch them. Often times,
in desperation, they gnaw their own limbs in an attempt to escape.
Fur production is also a serious burden on the environment.
Fur farms and tanneries pump waste and toxic chemicals into soil and water. The
traps responsible for trapping wildlife often maim and kill other animals as
well, such as endangered species and even domestic animals.
