PETA’s Convinced Stella McCartney to Develop Vegan Wool
Another day, another PETA scandal. Underneath the above photo of seemingly content sheep enjoying a magical rainbow, British designer Stella McCartney posted a very sad message on Instagram:
“I am very saddened to report that we have had to cease sourcing some of our sustainable wool from Ovis 21 in Patagonia. It was born as an amazing initiative to help protect a million acres of endangered grasslands in Patagonia whilst looking after the welfare of animals. Unfortunately, after conducting our own investigation in Argentina, following a very distressful viewing of footage provided by the great guys at @officialpeta, we found out that 1 of the 26 ranches we used source sustainable wool there, mistreated its sheep. It is one too many.”
The PETA footage she mentions—showing live lambs being skinned and mutilate—is incredibly disturbing—and not just to McCartney. Patagonia immediately issued their own statement, calling the treatment of the sheep on their land, “shocking and saddening.” While the brand says the PETA video is misleading (and points out that their own point of view differs from the often radical organization—”PETA does not believe in the use of animals for any human purpose; this is a belief we respect but do not share.”) they also add, “There is no excuse for violent shearing methods and inhumane slaughter. We hold ourselves to the highest standards, constantly seeking to improve our efforts to be the most sustainable, least harmful to the earth or its animals.”
While they do that, McCartney’s setting out to develop vegan wool. The famously vegan designer has managed to built a wildly successful luxury brand without using real leather or fur, instead developing faux options that both fashion and her customers have found perfectly acceptable. So why not add wool to the list? She said she is “more determined than ever to fight for animal rights in fashion together and monitor even more closely all suppliers involved in this industry to end all innocent lives.”
Related: Jane Birkin Demands Hermès Take Her Name Off the World’s Most Famous Bag
