‘Rather Go Naked Than Wear Leather’ Campaign to Come to Calgary

PETA Will Revamp Iconic Demonstration to Protest Leather Industry

For Immediate Release:
February 23, 2015

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

A pair of nude PETA members—wearing vegan cowboy boots and covered only by a banner proclaiming, “We’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Leather”—will take to the streets on Tuesday to remind shoppers to cross leather shoes, bags, and other items off their shopping list in favour of luxurious, cruelty-free vegan leather. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—is encouraging shoppers to take a stand against the violent industry by dropping leather.

Where:           The northeast corner of Eighth Avenue S.W. and Third Street S.W., Calgary

When:             Tuesday, February 24, 12 p.m.

“Each piece of leather trim condemns an animal to a lifetime of suffering in an industry that treats animals like commodities,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on consumers to spare animals the pain of dismemberment—and leave leather on the rack this winter.”

There are cruelty-free options available for every budget—from bargain-priced leather-free shoes at Call It Spring to posh vegan purses made by Matt & Nat and Stella McCartney. Many animals who are killed for their skin endure castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning—all without any painkillers. And recently, PETA exposed a thriving dog-leather industry in China, where workers club dogs, slit their throats, and peel off their skin to make women’s dress gloves and other products that are exported around the world.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.