Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot, and Fursac Ban Down and Feathers

SMCP Group Confirms its Animal-Friendly Commitment to PETA France

London – After banning fur and exotic skins, French fashion group SMCP confirmed to PETA France it will ban items made with down and feathers by the autumn/winter 2023 season. PETA welcomes this strong commitment on the part of the group, whose famous brands – Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot, and Fursac – have 1,684 stores in 43 countries.

In an e-mail to PETA France, SMPC said, “Our group is committed to have completely removed duck and goose feathers across its four brands by the autumn/winter 2023 season,” and explains that it has begun “for several seasons, a shift in favour of materials allowing, among other things, to replace feathers and down in each of our brands”.

“SMCP’s compassionate decision is great news for the birds who will be spared the agony of live plucking and a violent death at the slaughterhouse,” says PETA Director of Corporate Projects Yvonne Taylor. “We celebrate this move and call on other brands to follow suit and cut ties with the abusive and cruel down industry.”

PETA has released exposés of the down industry that reveal rampant abuse around the world, including on farms that supply brands certified under the Responsible Down Standard. An undercover investigation into farms in Russia showed geese being beheaded with a dull axe while they were fully conscious who continued to move while bleeding out. Live plucking – tearing feathers out of birds while they’re still alive – is also common in the industry, despite assurances and “humane” certifications.

Warm and high-performing vegan fillers made from natural and recycled materials – which, unlike down, do not accumulate dust and mould and retain their insulating properties even when damp – are widely available today. Brands using them include North Face, Napapijri, Henrik Vibskov, and Italian brand Save the Duck, which was previously awarded Company of the Year by PETA US.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Contact:

Sascha Camilli +44 (0) 20 7923 6244; [email protected]

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