The international animal protection organization Peta reports that the luxury fashion group Kering – which owns brands such as Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent and others – intends to stop using rabbit felt and angora for all of its brands in the future. To celebrate this move, Peta France sent the company a vegan cake in the shape of a rabbit.
Earlier this year, fashion house Gucci caused outrage for selling hats made of rabbit felt, although it had actually stopped using fur in 2017. Kering has confirmed to Peta, which itself is a Kering shareholder for better leverage, that it will improve the implementation of the fur ban to ensure all brands do not use rabbit hair or fur.
About 90 percent of the world Angora production takes place in China. “Angora and rabbit felt are torment for these sensitive animals, whose fur is either pulled out while fully conscious or shaved after being electrocuted or having their neck broken,” says Yvonne Taylor, vice president of corporate projects at Peta UK. We applaud Kering’s compassionate decision and call on the last remaining brands still selling Angora to follow suit.”
More than 400 brands and retailers have already banned the use of angora.