The British fashion designer Stella McCartney presents plant alternatives to real springs in her latest collection, as the animal rights activist campaigns against the “barbaric” breeding of birds for the clothing industry.
“For over 30 years I have had conversations in my industry that cows, goats, snakes, snakes or other living animals should not be killed to make shoes or handbags from them,” McCartney told AFP on Tuesday evening after her show during the Paris fashion week.
“But not too long ago I realized that feathers are another barbaric part of the industry,” she added.
Throughout her career, the 51-year-old daughter has consistently promoted vegan, Beatles legend Paul McCartney, animal-free alternatives to the materials and exotic skins that are common in the industry.
Her solution to replace feathers on the show on Tuesday, in which Helen Mirren, Robin Wright and Ice Spice took part, was a new product called “Fevvers”, which is made by a British start-up. With the help of the embroidery and textile company Chanakya International based in Mumbai, the art springs were designed in gentle pastel tones, which gave two clothes in pink and blue and the tops ease. “We bred blades of grass, naturally colored them and then sewed them by hand on incredible silhouettes. You can achieve the same effect (as with feathers) and do not kill billions of birds,” said McCartney.
Good replacement for real springs
Exotic feathers have been an integral part of the fashion industry since it has been available. In Europe and North America of the 19th century, they were considered the status symbol of the High Society. The gradual enforcement of nature conservation regulations contributed to the fact that wild birds no longer adorned hats or ball clothes.
Although heron or parlor are protected today, the modern fashion industry still uses large quantities of feathers, especially from ostriches that are bred under conditions that are criticized by animal rights activists: on the inside.
“Springs that are used for fashion are stolen by birds such as ostriches, chickens, turkey or ducks – and many of them spend their whole life locked up in factory farming or on dirty plots,” said Yvonne Taylor from the animal protection association People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to AFP.
Slaughtered chickens and ducks from the poultry industry often deliver the springs for the ubiquitous down jackets that can be found on the streets of the world. The fashion author Dana Thomas, who wrote the book “Fashionopolis” about the environmental record of the industry, told the AFP news agency, luxury labels with a business -powered clientele would have to join McCartney in order to make real change.
“You (McCartney) does not have the influence or means of buying large and really changing the paradigm with biomaterials,” said Thomas, adding that there were “so many good substitutes” for animal or petroleum -based products that are still preferred by large brands.
McCartney was also a pioneer when using Uppeal, which is made from apples and what crocodile leather looks like, as well as Econyl, which is made from nylon waste and old fishing nets. On Tuesday evening, she also wore Pure.tech in her jeans for the first time, a material developed by a Barcelona company that has air -cleaning properties and, among other things, absorbs carbon dioxide.
Bans from springs
Thomas also points out that the global fashion industry, which is dominated by corporations such as Kering, LVMH or Zara, does not do enough research and development and is not willing to take the risk of buying substances that are better for the planet, but cost more money.
“Although the industry supposedly sets trends and tells us what is happening in our culture, it is actually a very old -fashioned business,” she said.
The campaign for the abolition of springs is gaining in importance, even if springs are still an integral part of many prominent robes for the red carpet and wedding dresses. Like fur, wild bird springs have been banned on several smaller fashion weeks in the past two years, including in Amsterdam, Melbourne and Berlin. “Just as the designers have campaigned for a ban on nerz, fox and rabbit fur, so the ban on feathers is in full swing,” Taylor told AFP in a written explanation.
However, they are still allowed on the largest fashion weeks – in Paris, New York, London and Milan.
McCartney, former designer of the French label Celine, admits that the “Fevvers” are still in the test stage and that the company, which is behind it, needs financial support and possibly legal changes by banning animal springs to assert itself. “It is really interesting that this technology does not make it into production, while killing millions of birds can take place freely in production,” she said.
