The Fashion Industry’s Hidden Agenda
When you think of animal testing, you think of laboratories and cosmetics, not the fashion industry in particular. However, billions of animals have been slaughtered for the fashion industry to use for everything from down to leather (Four Paws). Not only does the industry follow the unethical practice of killing animals for clothes, but they also use techniques that leave the animals in excruciating pain, such as live-plucking and mulesing. After having to endure these painful procedures, as well as harsh living conditions and inhumane practices with food, the animals are then used to create garments and accessories. Animals in the fashion industry face all kinds of torturous experiences—ones that are kept well hidden from consumers, despite all of the safer, more ethical alternatives. This cycle of harm will only continue unless consumers educate themselves on the products they buy, ensuring that they are not participating in these patterns that have led to billions and billions of animal deaths.
The fashion industry profits from exploiting animals, all while misleading consumers through strategic marketing and a lack of transparency in their supply methods. Many people unknowingly support the use of animals by buying products that include fur, wool, leather, or down without realizing how the materials are sourced. Wool is often taken from sheep that have undergone mulesing, a painful process commonly done without the use of anesthesia, that involves carving out parts of flesh to avoid flystrike. Down frequently comes from ducks and geese that have been subjected to live-plucking– a slow, painful, and inhumane process (Hunters Element). Despite the ethical concerns of these processes, they have continued worldwide due to the demand of luxury goods that include real animal components as well as the weak animal welfare laws and a lack of consumer knowledge.
The ethics behind these methods are even more unjustifiably wrong due to the fact that an enormous amount of alternatives exist. There are over ten different materials that brands could use instead of real leather, most of which are also less environmentally harmful than genuine leather (Collective Fashion Justice). Synthetic down can be used instead, being an alternative solution that is also more affordable (Casper). Many brands have already proved that using these alternatives does not have to mean losing style or quality. Stella McCartney has stated many times that her goal is to make the fashion industry a cruelty-free place, starting with her own pledge to never use leather to produce any of her items (Stella McCartney).
However, not many influential brands seem to follow in her footsteps. Most of the top luxury brands still use exotic leather as one of their most high-end bags, using it to justify prices that can reach into hundreds of thousands of dollars that some of the most influential celebrities continue to purchase. For example, Kylie Jenner, an iconic figure to many has been seen with a nearly 400,000 dollar Hermès Birkin that is only able to reach that price due to the fact that it is composed of alligator skin. Hermès has a dark history of exporting animal skin. They use hides from a factory in Texas that uses cruel slaughtering practices and factories in Zimbabwe that keep the alligators in inhumane conditions (PETA). Many young consumers see her participating in the trend of buying luxury animal goods, leading to them wanting it too, not knowing of the harm that it creates. Not only that, but many companies also project an image of sustainability, without being able to support it by numbers, that consumers fall into the trap of. Clearer animal welfare and transparency policies must be set into place to ensure that buyers can make an informed decision on the places they choose to purchase their garments from.
In conclusion, the use of animals in fashion is an issue that is hidden from the public eye, one that includes cruelty and deceit. With the sheer amount of humane and environmentally friendly options available, this is an issue that has no moral justification, especially because of the fact that animal products symbolize luxury, not the violent methods behind it. Until the fashion industry acknowledges and fixes the treatment of animals in production methods, clothing will continue to have a violent history that consumers are unaware of.
