New PETA Exposé Reveals Lady Gaga, Others Lied to About How Their Feather Gowns Were Made

For Immediate Release:
October 13, 2026

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

A new PETA exposé reveals workers forcibly plucking ostrich feathers out of live birds, slitting their throats and bragging about supplying to top fashion houses and Lady Gaga. The singer wore ostrich feathers throughout her Mayhem Ball tour and on the main stage at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, but was told by Dior that the gown was created using old feathers that the birds shed naturally—a far cry from what happens at the South African factory farm who admitted to sourcing the look.

“Workers restrain terrified ostriches and tear feathers from their bodies, making fear and pain into fashion,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “Lady Gaga, like so many others, was misled about the feathers she wore, and PETA is calling on celebrities and consumers alike to remember: If it came from an animal, leave it on the shelf because it’s a product of pain, cruelty, and deception.”

PETA Asia’s undercover investigation shows workers aggressively grabbing and shoving hoods on ostriches’ heads, restraining them in a metal cradle, and tearing fistfuls of feathers from their wings and tails as the birds kick and thrash. The investigator saw blood on freshly removed feathers and documented two ostriches being choked by the neck before workers plucked them. At a slaughterhouse, workers electrically stunned ostriches, suspended them upside down, and slit their throats without the investigator seeing anyone check whether the birds were unconscious first.

Other major fashion brands have been implicated in the investigation as well, including Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Chanel—whose ostrich feather looks were worn by Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez, Nicole Kidman, and Teyana Taylor this year.

Numerous major brands and events have banned feathers from their shows, including Victoria’s Secret and Copenhagen Fashion Week. Stella McCartney, famously feather-free, has called on designers to sign PETA’s feather-free pledge, vowing never to use feathers in their collections.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear or abuse in any other way”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and fear, an ostrich is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.