Written by PETA
Last year, award-winning designer John Bartlett went vegan—and so did his celebrated collections, which no longer contain any animal skins.
So when Bartlett heard about the upcoming Runway to Green eco-fashion show, he also wanted to make sure that there would be no fur flying on the runway, considering how the fur industry wreaks havoc on the environment. Bartlett penned a letter to Salma Hayek, one of the hosts of the event, outlining how fur is loaded with toxic chemicals to keep it from rotting in people's closets and how fur farms have been fined millions of dollars by the Environmental Protection Agency for hazardous-waste violations.
Bartlett was thrilled to hear back almost immediately that there will be no fur at Runway to Green. Hayek herself shuns fur, as do designers Stella McCartney and Tommy Hilfiger, who will feature pieces in the show. Now that all the other designers have agreed to follow suit, Runway to Green will truly be both Earth-friendly and animal-friendly.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
Great news for all you PETA Files readers down under: Australian fashion designer Alannah Hill has agreed to stop using rabbit fur in her collections.
Good on ya, Alannah!
The girly-chic designer had a change of heart after hearing from thousands of PETA Asia-Pacific supporters who got fired up about fur after watching video footage that documents disgusting conditions on a Chinese fur farm.
Alannah joins the ranks of compassionate designers like Stella McCartney, Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, and Tommy Hilfiger, who have all sworn off fur.
Hopefully, other designers (Armani, are you listening?) will soon follow suit.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Ah, Moe's. Your Art Vandalay Burrito—a dee-lish medley of black beans, rice, pico de gallo, and guacamole—always ensures a "happy meal."
But you, McDonald's, with that scary clown pimping your packages of abused and bruised chickens—you always ensure a very unhealthy, unhappy meal.
For this week's "Win It" Wednesday, we're giving away 10 of PETA's spoof "Unhappy Meals." Each "meal" contains a "blood"-filled packet with a message urging Mickey D's to "Ketchup With the Times," a paper cutout of a menacing Ronald McDonald with PETA's parody "i'm hatin' it" logo, a "bloody" plastic chicken, and a "McCruelty" T-shirt wrapped up to resemble a sandwich. It's a chicken defender's best weapon in the campaign to wipe out the fast-food giant's suppliers' worst abuses of countless birds.
Score yours by telling us about the vegetarian meal at your favorite fast-food joint or other restaurant that makes your belly the happiest.
The contest ends on August 26, 2009, and we'll choose 10 of the most tempting vegetarian meals on August 28, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you'll be agreeing to both by commenting.
Good luck!
Written by Karin Bennett
Damn, these victories always seem to come in pairs. Right after New Mexico announces that it has banned cockfighting, Tommy Hilfiger permanently drops fur from their collections. Citing ethical reasons for their decision, Tommy released a statement today saying:
“Starting immediately, the company will cease development of any product containing fur, and any fur garment already in production will be phased out of sales channels by the delivery of the spring 2008 collection.”
Just so you don't get the impression that these things happen overnight, here's a little behind-the-scenes for you from PETA VP Dan Mathews. Dan first ran into Tommy Hilfiger at Pamela Anderson's wedding in San Tropez in July, where they began a discussion about the ethical issues surrounding the fur industry (you know, the kind of stuff that always comes up at weddings), and they met again more recently at the World Music Awards in London in October to talk some more. Dan and Tommy had been planning on meeting again in New York this week, but it looks like that's not going to be necessary anymore. Anyway, since Pamela Anderson was responsible for the meeting in the first place, I figured I'd let her have the last word. Here's what she said about the great news when asked for comment:
"Since Tommy mostly used fur on collars and cuffs, his decision to go fur-free really puts the spotlight on fur trim, which is one of my biggest pet peeves. People who think 'it’s just a little fur trim' need to know that animals suffer tremendously for every piece of fur, and it’s unacceptable to wear any of it. Thanks, Tommy, for sticking up for the animals!"
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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