Former Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop faced public backlash due to her cocktail dress of choice, sparking discussion about ethical practices within the fashion industry.
Her appearance at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney caused uproar due to her feathered cocktail dress. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) stated that feathers are as cruel as fur in a letter urging the United Nations special envoy to showcase only sustainable, cruelty-free brands.
“Cruelly obtained feathers are a fashion faux pas,” said PETA Senior Communications Advisor Emily Rice.
“In the future, we hope Ms Bishop will stick to fabulous featherless materials that leave birds in peace.”
In the letter, PETA points out that ostriches don’t moult, so their feathers are either ripped out while they’re still alive or removed after slaughter. A PETA US investigation into ostrich farms and abattoirs in South Africa, home of the ostrich capital of the world, exposed workers forcibly restraining ostriches as young as a year old and striking birds in the head on the way to slaughter.
At abattoirs, these ostriches are electrically stunned before having their throats cut. Moments later, the feathers are torn from their still-warm bodies, and they are skinned and dismembered.
Concerns over animal cruelty, the environment, and public health prompted Melbourne Fashion Week to ban wild bird feathers from its catwalks last year.
PETA’s letter also pointed out how farming animals harms the planet and provides a breeding ground for deadly pathogens.
South Africa’s ostrich industry alone emits over 62,000 tonnes of carbon-equivalent emissions yearly. Feathers are typically dyed and processed with toxic heavy metals such as formaldehyde and chromium. Meanwhile, the filthy and cramped conditions observed on ostrich farms have increased the risk of disease emergence and transmission, including that of avian influenza.
The fashion industry is increasingly moving away from decorative feathers, and fashion platforms such as The Iconic and ASOS have committed to bans. Australian label Zhivago, favoured by celebrities such as Gwen Stefani and Cardi B, is completely animal-free and carries the PETA-approved vegan logo.
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