Why This Clothing Brand Won’t Sell Anything Stuffed With Feathers
Last week, shocking footage from the global down industry reminded everyone that terrified birds often have their feathers ripped out in fistfuls in order to make jackets, pillows, duvets and other products.
And we’ve already heard from one retailer which is so horrified by these production methods that it’s decided never to sell items filled with down – Whistles! The classy clothing brand got in touch to let us know that “[s]ince finding out about the potential cruelty involved in procuring real down in 2014, we have used and will use only synthetic fillers”.
Whistles joins other great names in fashion, including ASOS, Dr Martens and Save the Duck, in refusing to use feathers for their own-brand clothing.
Thank you, Whistles, for making compassion a priority! This move will reassure customers, help animals and set a great example for other brands that haven’t yet committed to never again selling items stuffed with birds’ feathers.
Here’s a reminder of what’s wrong with feather-filled items:
This isn’t the first time that hard-hitting exposés have persuaded companies to stop using materials that harm animals. After PETA Asia’s shocking video from the angora industry, almost every store on the high street stopped using angora. Could we be on the cusp of a similar landslide with unethical down?
Please help make that change happen. If you ever see items on sale that are filled with real feathers, please complain to the store’s management and ask them to follow Whistles’ example by ditching down.
You can also write to outdoors brand Lands’ End – which uses suppliers that have been linked to the live plucking of geese in China – via our action alert.
