In recent years, more and more people have been speaking out against the fur industry. Once seen as the height of luxurious fashion, fur has increasingly fallen out of favor.
Animal rights groups have long spoken about the inhumane practices of the industry, which involves the trapping and farming of wild animals solely for their fur.
In recent years, more and more companies and fashion lines have stopped using fur and other unethical animal products in their items. And recently, the anti-fur movement saw another high-profile victory after a pop star convinced one of the biggest names in high fashion to ditch fur for good.
Billie Eilish is one of today’s biggest music superstars. At just 19-year-old, the singer/songwriter has already won seven Grammy Awards. She’s released hit songs like “Bad Guy,” and wrote the theme song for the upcoming James Bond film No Time To Die.
Whether or not you’re familiar with Eilish’s music, you might be happy to hear that she’s used her major platform to advocate for animal rights. She is a vegan, and has criticized the meat and dairy industries, and has also spoken out against people who wear mink fur.
According to Buzzfeed, Eilish posted on Instagram that people who wear mink eyelashes “disgust” her, and her representatives said that all the catering for her tour was completely vegan.
And recently, Eilish used her influence to make another major stand against fur, convincing a major fashion house to stop using fur in their products.
Eilish was one of the attendees at this year’s Met Gala, an annual star-studded fundraising gala known for the elaborate high fashion of its guests. Eilish enlisted one of the world’s most famous fashion boutiques to outfit her: Oscar de la Renta.
But surprisingly, Eilish had a big condition: that the company stop using fur in their designs, the New York Times reported.
It’s surprising for such a young, new star to make such a big request of this iconic, decades-old fashion label: the Times says that Eilish is “perhaps the only Met Gala guest in history to elicit an ethical policy change” from a fashion designer as a prerequisite to wear their designs.
But Eilish clearly felt strongly about this issue, and saw an opportunity to enact a permanent change in the fashion industry. And, it worked: Oscar de la Renta has agreed to end all fur sales, per Eilish’s request.
According to the Times, two of Oscar de la Renta’s creative directors, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, had already ceased using fur in their designs in recent years, finding it dated, but the company previously had no ethical stance against the sale of fur.
The Times also reports that fur products still made up a decent percentage of Oscar de la Renta’s profits, which means that giving it up was no small sacrifice. And yet, Eilish convinced them to stop.
“I find it shocking that wearing fur isn’t completely outlawed at this point in 2021. I am so beyond thrilled that … the Oscar de la Renta team heard me on this issue and have made a change that not only makes an impact for the greater good for animals but also for our planet and environment, too,” Eilish said, according to PETA.
“I’m honored to have been a catalyst and to have been heard on this matter. I urge all designers to do the same.”
Not only did she score a big victory for animal rights, Eilish also turned a lot of heads in her Oscar de la Renta gown. The beige, off-the-shoulder gown was seen as a stark departure from her usual dark, goth aesthetic.
“It felt like a risk for her — it felt like something that made her nervous in a good way,” Garcia told the Times. “At the end of the day, she’s a girl, and she wants to look pretty.”
The end of Oscar de la Renta’s fur sales is just one part of the fashion industry’s changing attitudes towards animal rights. PETA called this year’s event possibly the “Most Animal-Friendly Met Gala to Date,” with fewer celebrities sporting fur and an all-vegan menu.
We’re glad that another fashion label has agreed to stop using fur in their items. Congrats to Billie Eilish on making such a big victory for her cause — it’s clear she’s very passionate about animal rights.
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