Fur Is Dead at New York Fashion Week

It’s official: Fur is dead. No kind shopper will wear it, no trendsetting designer will use it, no major fashion magazine will feature it, and now New York Fashion Week won’t show it. Thanks to PETA’s many protests, runway crashes, and the more than 50,000 supporters who took action, fur is officially off the catwalk!

This is why we continue to take center stage at fashion weeks around the world: to raise awareness about the suffering of animals used for clothing and accessories and let the public know that vegan materials are always in style.

How PETA Proved Fur Is Dead to New York Fashion Week

More than 30 years ago, PETA launched the first of many naked protests at an Oscar de la Renta runway show in 1991. The eye-popping stunt landed PETA supporters—cuffed to a banner reading, “We’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur”—on the cover of The New York Times style section.

Since the launch of the iconic campaign, numerous celebrities have taken it all off for animals in dozens of ads, PETA supporters have held hundreds of protests, and crashed more than a few runways.

Every Animal Is Someone

Reptiles, such as crocodiles and pythons, are often subjected to extreme cruelty in the wildlife skins industry. These animals can be bludgeoned, electroshocked, stabbed, and skinned while they’re still moving and fighting for life. Snakes are fascinating animals who communicate through body language and sounds, and they fiercely protect their young. Alligators are devoted mothers who carefully guard their eggs. Like you, me, and all of our fellow animals, they don’t want to suffer or be killed and turned into coats, bags, or shoes—they simply want to live.

Vegan leathers are chic, sustainable, and most importantly, they don’t harm or kill animals. Today’s innovative designers are creating gorgeous options made from mushrooms, apples, cork, and other plant-based materials—as well as durable, high-quality vegan leathers crafted from manufactured and recycled fibers. Vegan clothing options are kinder and more forward-thinking than anything torn from an animal’s back.

Other fashion weeks in London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Sydney, Melbourne, and Stockholm have already banned fur and wildlife skins from their catwalks. 

Please call on the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to ban wildlife skins from New York Fashion Week, too.