Fashion weeks are notorious for promoting wasteful spending, excess consumerism, and generating massive amounts of trash and pollution.

However, there is currently a movement toward sustainability in designer exhibitions that is mindful of animals’ lives and their role in the fashion industry. 

As the Guardian reported, multiple fashion week events have banned exotic animal skins from their shows. 

London’s Fashion Week was the first major event to outlaw the style showcasing of animal skins due to the exploitation of snakes, alligators, crocodiles, and other animals. London was the first of the “big four” fashion weeks to ban both fur and exotic skins. 

Fashion weeks in Melbourne and Copenhagen have also committed to respecting animals while revealing the latest clothing and accessory trends. In contrast, animal products are still on display at shows in Paris and Milan. 

Even in the world of high-end fashion, exploiting animals for their furs and skins is unnecessary and unethical. 

Dr. Charlotte Regan, from the World Animal Protection UK, said, “Millions of animals continue to suffer and die for fashion when there are so many innovative and exciting animal-friendly materials designers and clothing companies can choose to create with instead.”

Another problematic aspect of fashion weeks is the display of feathers cruelly removed from live birds so that models can parade them down runways. 

Copenhagen’s fashion week boldly banned feathers and exotic skins. Animal rights activists hope that London and other cities will follow Copenhagen’s example and hold fashion shows that are totally wildlife-free events.

🗣️ What should the government do about the fast fashion industry?

🔘 Set strict regulations 🚫

🔘 Incentivize sustainable options 💰

🔘 Use both regulations and incentives 🏛️

🔘 Nothing 🙅

🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind

The fashion industry needs to prioritize animal welfare and adopt more humane practices. By excluding animal cruelty from fashion shows, we can reduce animal suffering and environmental degradation while inspiring consumers to avoid animal products in their own fashion purchases. 

As a consumer, you can do your part to protect animals by understanding where your clothes come from and how they’re made. 

Also, be mindful of fashion brands’ greenwashing campaigns and support eco-friendly initiatives of trusted, sustainable companies. For example, one innovative startup, BioFluff, created a bio-based faux fur from plant fibers. 

Fashion lovers worldwide applauded fashion weeks for abandoning animal products to protect our planet’s exploited species. 

“About time,” one Reddit user commented on a post about the news.

Someone else wrote, “The fact that they didn’t before is astounding to me.”

“Hopefully, this pushes the others to follow suit by bringing negative attention to the practice,” another Redditor commented. 

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