Great News: Claire’s Drops Feathers!

After learning from PETA US about the cruel ways birds are raised and killed for their feathers, fashion and accessories retailer Claire’s pledged to no longer buy feathers for its products.

PETA applauds the brand’s compassionate decision to take feathers off its shelves and urges all other retailers to follow suit. Today’s conscious consumers deserve better than to be sold the products of torture and cruelty.

Why Claire’s Dropped Feathers

Feathers used for fashion may be torn by the fistful from fully conscious, terrified birds or taken from those who have been violently killed, often for their flesh or skin.

The feather industry helps prop up the meat industry because a bird’s feathers can be sold at a much higher price per kilogram than their flesh. A PETA US investigation into the largest ostrich-slaughter companies in the world revealed that workers forced frightened young birds into stalls – where they were electrically stunned – and then slit their throats in full view of their flockmates.

A Featherless Future

Innovative companies such as Blue District and ECOPEL offer sustainably made vegan feathers crafted from materials such as bamboo and recycled fibres.

Copenhagen Fashion Week and Melbourne Fashion Week have both banned the feathers of wild birds from the runways.

Fashion houses that have pledged never to work with feathers include Patrick McDowell, Richard Malone, Felder Felder, and Stella McCartney, which fronted PETA’s new feather-free pledge for designers and companies.