Kering Bans Angora and Rabbit Felt After Talks With PETA
PETA is hopping for joy after luxury fashion group Kering – owner of Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and other brands – marked the Year of the Rabbit by confirming it has banned the use of angora and rabbit felt across all its brands.
To celebrate this move, PETA France will be sending the company a rabbit-shaped vegan cake.
After introducing a ban on fur in 2021 that included rabbit fur, Kering had yet to implement a policy against angora and rabbit-fur derivatives. Kering brand Gucci banned angora in 2018 but sparked outrage by selling hats made from rabbit felt earlier this year.
PETA US, a shareholder in the company since 2020, has now received confirmation stating, “Kering’s implementation of the no-fur ban has been explicitly reinforced internally to ensure that no rabbit hair or skin is used by our brands.”
Agony Behind Angora and Rabbit Felt
As revealed by a PETA Asia exposé, most rabbits used for angora are kept in cramped, filthy cages surrounded by their own waste. They’re routinely stretched across boards before their fur is torn out while they helplessly scream in pain.
Others are suspended by a rope from the ceiling before their fur is cut or shorn, and their delicate skin is cut open by the sharp tools as the rabbits struggle desperately to escape. They typically endure this agony every three months.
Ninety per cent of angora comes from China, where there are no penalties for abusing animals on farms and no standards to regulate their treatment.
Rabbits farmed for their flesh and fur spend their brief, miserable lives in small, filthy cages, which inhibit their natural movements to such an extent that poor bone and muscle development leaves them unable to hop.
When they reach slaughter size, workers break their necks or suffocate or electrocute them, sometimes failing to kill them and skinning them alive.
Compassion Is In, Angora Is Out
Forward-thinking fashion designers today refuse to profit from rabbits’ suffering. Kering joins a long list of more than 400 brands and retailers, including Armani, Burberry, Chloé, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, and Lacoste, which have committed to a ban on angora.
We applaud Kering’s compassionate decision and urge the last remaining brands that still sell angora to follow its lead.
Animals Abused for Fashion Still Need Your Help
When we ask – they listen. Help ensure all designers stop using animal-derived materials in their collections. Reach out to them now using our rapid actions page:
