p a n a c h e

F Blood on the runway

ashionistas were purring
in delight when design-
ers at the recently held
New York Fashion Week made You know you’re going wrong when fashion trends transform your
models strut down the ramp wardrobe from being cool to terribly cruel...
in animal furs that ranged
from a dyed silver-fox on a
coat, to a leather trench-coat
with mink’s fur running down
its back, to hoods and skirts
with fur trimmings and even
leggings made out of leather!
Designer Michael Kors, who
has faced the ire of animal
rights activists earlier, got
plenty of applause for his
‘quintessential American
sportswear’, which spared not
even sports apparel from us-
ing real fur. As fashion critics
are doling out appreciation for
the innovative creations that
have made fur more
: PETA
ourtesy

cause fur farmers shows raccoon dogs in China crammed into trucks in such
Photo C

wearable, it is
apparent that from hoods to
shoes to suits, which boast of
fur will now be among the
must-haves of the fashionable
set. This is perhaps the point
when we should remind our-
selves of the PETA warning
– “Fur on your back, blood on
your hands.”
“Cave-people-like design-
ers who still use fur are chas-
ing headlines from the con-
troversy. It does not take one
ounce of creativity to rip the
skin off of an animal’s back,”
said Poorva Joshipura, Chief
Functionary, PETA India. De-
scribing the cruelty of this
industry Poorva added, “Be-
care only about pre-
serving the quality of the fur,
they use cheap slaughter
methods that keep the pelts
intact but which can result in
extreme suffering for the ani-
mals. Small animals may be
crammed into boxes and poi-
soned with hot, unfiltered en-
gine exhaust from a truck.
Engine exhaust is not always
lethal, and some animals wake
up while being skinned. Larg-
er animals have clamps or a
rod applied to their mouths
while rods are inserted into
their anuses, and they are
painfully electrocuted. Gas-
sing, decompression cham-
bers, and neck-snapping are
other common fur-farm
slaughter methods. A video
– where most of the world’s
fur comes from – being hit in
the face with metal pipes,
picked up and slammed hard
on the ground, skinned alive
and thrown in a bloody pile,
still alive. One dog in the vid-
eo lifts her skinned head and
blinks her eyelashes at the
camera as if to say, ‘why?’”
In India, the leather indus-
try plays an important role in
the economy, and while leath-
er leggings thankfully haven’t
yet made their way to this side
of the globe, wallets, belts,
shoes etc, are made out of
leather. While most Indians
are proud of this industry’s
growth, its methods of operat-
ing are shameful. “Cows,
sheep and other animals are
high numbers on their way to
slaughter that their bones
snap, they get trampled, suf-
focate or die en route. At the
slaughterhouse, all of these
animals have their throats slit
in full view of their compan-
ions,” reveals Poorva.
While style icons like Ma-
donna will continue to wear
fur, other more responsible
and compassionate celebrities
like Michelle Obama and
Charlize Theron are a better
example for those eager to
stay in step with fashion. And
if you must have the fur, opt
for faux fur, and so ensure that
at least you have no blood on
your hands. 
Anu Gulmohar

86 5 march-18 march 2010 business&economy