5 Brands to Support Instead of Free People

Nearly 300 major brands worldwide have banned mohair in response to PETA Asia’s investigation of the industry. But Free People has yet to follow suit.

The investigation involved going inside 12 South African angora goat farms earlier this year. It revealed that goats cried out in fear and desperation as they were roughly handled and shorn. Shearers – who are paid by volume, not by the hour – left the animals cut up and bleeding, and workers roughly stitched them up without giving them any pain relief.

Some goats were hauled to an abattoir, where they would be electrically shocked, hung upside down, and slashed across the throat. Despite being made aware of this cruelty by PETA, Free People still hasn’t committed to a ban on mohair in its future collections .

Luckily, there are many progressive brands that have said no to animal abuse. Here are five that have committed to banning mohair that you can support instead of Free People:

Topshop

After PETA informed Arcadia Group – which owns Topshop, among other brands – of the cruelty inherent in the industry, it committed to banning mohair by 2019. The high-street giant has many animal-friendly options in stores, and you’ll find plenty of clothes in the same boho style as Free People.
ASOS

The global online fashion retailer – which sells more than 850 labels as well as its own-brand clothing and accessories – has confirmed that it’ll not only ban mohair following PETA’s exposé but also ditch cashmere, silk, down, and feathers across its entire platform by the end of January 2019.

ASOS has previously won a PETA Vegan Fashion Award for Most Stylish Down-Free Item.
Mango

After being made aware of the suffering and painful, horrifying deaths of goats in the mohair industry, Mango made the decision to leave violence off its shelves and opt instead for cruelty-free alternatives. Given its wide variety of novel styles and designs, you’re guaranteed to find something that takes your fancy any time you explore a Mango store.
Zara

Zara’s Spanish parent company, Inditex, said it “deplores the cruel practices on South African mohair farms uncovered by PETA [Asia]”, so it’s no surprise that the retailer aims to phase out mohair from its apparel brands by 2020. Zara’s vibe is reminiscent of what you’d find when scrolling through Free People’s website or browsing its shelves, so you can still rock the clothes you want without harming animals in the process.
H&M

The fashion retail giant has pledged to ban mohair from its collections across its labels moving forward. It said, “For us it is of utmost importance that animals are treated well and we have therefore decided to permanently ban mohair. We have been in close dialogue with PETA [US ] for several years and fully agree with them on this matter.” You can find many animal-free options at H&M that have a similar aesthetic to Free People’s designs. Keep the style, but ditch the violence – it’s a win-win!

Note: Before purchasing any item, always check the label to make sure that it contains only non-animal materials.

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Many brands are choosing to be kind to animals, but others are falling behind – and they’ll stay there unless they make a change. Urge Free People to ditch mohair immediately.