Next, New Look, Matalan, and Ted Baker Drop Alpaca
After viewing a PETA exposé revealing that crying alpacas are roughly shorn and left cut up and bleeding from deep wounds, fashion brands Next, New Look, Matalan, and Ted Baker have all confirmed that they will end the use of alpaca in their collections.
River Island, Hunter and Barbour have confirmed they already prohibit its use.
What’s Wrong With Alpaca?
An undercover investigation into Mallkini – the world’s largest privately owned alpaca farm in Peru – shows that workers held struggling, crying alpacas by the ears as they were roughly shorn with electric clippers, causing some to vomit out of fear.
The quick, rough shearing left the animals with deep wounds, which were sewn up without adequate pain relief.
Workers also slammed pregnant alpacas onto tables. They tied them tightly by the legs into a restraining device reminiscent of a medieval torture rack and pulled hard, nearly wrenching the animals’ legs out of their sockets.
The alpacas struggled, risking and likely incurring injuries. Restraint is highly distressing to these prey animals, who fear that they’re about to be killed.
What You Can Do
The best thing you can do for alpacas is refuse to buy anything made with their hair. Checking the label when you’re shopping is easy. If it includes the word “alpaca”, leave the item on the shelf.
Next, New Look, Matalan, and Ted Baker join UNIQLO – the third-largest clothing retailer in the world – Esprit, and Marks & Spencer in dropping the material. Gap Inc (which owns Banana Republic, Athleta, and other brands) and H&M Group (which owns eight brands) have cut ties with Mallkini’s parent company, the Michell Group.
Please ask Anthropologie to drop alpaca items immediately in favour of those made with animal-friendly materials:
