French Connection Stops Selling Angora Following PETA Campaign

Fashion Giant Ends Angora Use After More Than 100,000 People Contact CEO to Speak Up for Rabbits

For Immediate Release:
October 16, 2014

Contact:
Alexis Sadoti 202-483-7382

After receiving more than 100,000 e-mails from supporters of PETA and its international affiliates who were concerned that French Connection had resumed sales of items containing angora wool, the retailer’s website today confirmed that the international fashion brand has finally committed to a ban on angora.

“French Connection has listened to its customers and joined ASOS, Calvin Klein, AllSaints, Stella McCartney, Tommy Hilfiger, Mango, and numerous other global fashion retailers by committing to a permanent ban on angora wool,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Ever since PETA exposed how sensitive rabbits’ fur is ripped out of their bodies, shoppers know that if a label says ‘angora,’ it means cruelty to animals.”

PETA Asia’s unprecedented investigation shows that rabbits who have their fur cut or sheared also suffer greatly during the cutting process. Their front and back legs are tightly tethered so that they can be stretched out over a board—a terrifying experience for any prey animal. Others are suspended in the air by their forelimbs. Rabbits have very thin skin, and the sharp cutting tools invariably wound them as they struggle desperately to escape. The angora farming industry also condemns these intelligent animals to years in isolation in small, filthy wire cages that cut into their sensitive paws and prevent them from carrying out normal behavior, including exercising and interacting with other rabbits.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.