‘Strictly Come Dancing’ To Go Feather-Free
‘Strictly Come Dancing’ To Go Feather-Free
London – After an appeal from PETA highlighted how birds suffer for the feather industry, Strictly Come Dancing has confirmed the show has been “increasingly moving away from real feather use over the last few seasons” and working with faux feathers. As for the feathers from this season’s costumes, which would often be re-used the following year, Executive Producer Sarah James assured PETA that “it’s unlikely we will re-use them at all going forward.”
PETA has asked for the feathers to be donated to its feather amnesty campaign. These feathers would be put to good use for educational displays at fashion colleges, eye-catching protests, and more.
“Behind every feather fashion item is a once-living bird who was shocked, slaughtered, and violently plucked for their plumage,” says PETA Vice President of Corporate Projects Yvonne Taylor. “PETA applauds Strictly Come Dancing for putting its best foot forward and quickstepping cruelly obtained feathers off the show, and is excited to see the exclusively faux feather costumes it unveils in 2025.”
In their natural habitat, ostriches form strong social bonds, nurture their young for up to three years, and can live for more than 40 years – yet in the feather industry, workers forcibly restrain ostriches as young as 1 year old, electrically stun them, and slit their throats before tearing the feathers from their still-warm bodies. Other birds fare no better – peacocks, pheasants, emus, turkeys, and chickens all endure miserable lives on crowded farms and painful deaths so that their feathers can be used for fashion.
The move comes hot on the heels of the Victoria’s Secret Show, which used exclusively faux feathers, and a PETA awareness campaign led by feather-free designer Stella McCartney – which Felder, Richard Malone, Patrick McDowell, and VIN + OMI, among others, have already signed.
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, X, TikTok, or Instagram.
Contact:
Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]
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