PETA Partners With UK Universities for Vegan Fashion Masterclass

In 2021, PETA worked with three UK universities to introduce fashion design students to vegan fur and leather. Watch our new video to see the final animal-friendly projects, from dramatic black vegan-leather dresses to bright and bubbly faux-fur hats:

Students at the University of Chester, Robert Gordon University Aberdeen, and Greater Brighton Metropolitan College worked with bio-based faux fur KOBA from French manufacturer ECOPEL and Mabel Industries’ vegan leather made from apple waste – and they universally praised the materials.

Today’s fashion students recognise that no garment justifies killing an animal and polluting the planet:

“I’ve only briefly worked with animal leather in the past, and … I felt conflicted using such a material due to my own beliefs of responsible design. But working with the apple leather was brilliant. The fabric is very versatile, it presses … really well, and it’s very easy to manipulate, even emboss.”

– Cameron Lyall, student at Robert Gordon University Aberdeen

PETA exposés have revealed that animals killed for leather endure castration, branding, and tail-docking – all without painkillers – and animals killed for fur are caged, bashed in the head, and electrocuted.

Jo-Anne McArthur / #MakeFurHistory

The future of fashion lies in innovative vegan fabrics, and PETA is proud to help these up-and-coming designers lead the way.

Vegan fabrics are far kinder to animals and have a much smaller carbon footprint than animal-derived materials, as animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate change.