Victory! Claire’s Confirms That It Will No Longer Buy Feathers Following Push From PETA US

25.07.2024

London – 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 the group that it will no longer buy feathers for its products.

“We applaud Claire’s compassionate decision to get feathers off its shelves and urge all other retailers to follow suit,” says PETA Vice President of Corporate Projects Yvonne Taylor. “Today’s conscious consumers deserve better than to be sold the products of torture and cruelty.”

Feathers used for fashion may be torn by the fistful out of fully conscious, terrified birds or taken from those who have been killed, often for their flesh or skin. The feather industry helps prop up the meat industry, since 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 then slit their throats in full view of their flockmates.

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

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information about PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, X, TikTok, or Instagram.

Contact:

Sascha Camilli +44 207 923 6244; [email protected]

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