Meet a Russian Designer Who’s Turning Heads by Refusing to Use Leather or Fur

Russia’s Vika Gazinskaya is internationally renowned for her beautiful clothes – and her ethics.

In an exclusive interview for PETA, she explains why she makes sure that her fashion creations never use animal skin:

A vegetarian since the age of 16, Vika is committed to using creative, warm, eco-friendly materials – never fur or leather – in her designs. And her compassionate approach, combined with her street-style smarts, has earned her many fans in the fashion world, including icons such as Miroslava Duma and Elle Fanning. And her designs work in every season, proving that you don’t need fur to keep you warm in Moscow’s -20 degree winter temperatures.

There are plenty of reasons to ditch fur and leather: animals who are killed for their skin are castrated, branded and dehorned and have their tails docked – all without any painkillers.

PETA Asia’s recent investigation showed how, in China, workers club dogs, slit their throats and peel off their skin to make women’s dress gloves and other products that are exported around the world.

And on fur farms, animals spend their entire lives confined to tiny, filthy cages before they’re poisoned, bludgeoned, electrocuted or even skinned alive.

As Vika says:

“If you love animals for whatever personal reasons, or if you think it’s a shame that they are killed, and simply don’t accept violence … just choose materials that allow you to work in accordance with how you see the world”.

Who can argue with that?!

For more inspiration on cruelty-free style, including where to find vegan fashion on the high street and how to decipher clothes labels, check out the Living section of our website.