While fashion weeks are unfolding around the world, interview with Anissa Putois, communications officer for the animal rights organization PETA France, who denounces, in addition to its cruelty, the health risks of animal farming for fashion, in the spread of pandemics like that of Covid-19.

By Ludmilla Intravaia 

Le Boudoir Numérique : On March 1, the opening day of Paris Fashion Week, PETA activists, costumed in coronavirus, stood in front of the Eiffel Tower, carrying posters, where one could read for instance “Coronavirus ❤︎ Paris Fashion Week”. What was the purpose of this demonstration?

Anissa Putois, communication officer for Peta France: With this symbolic action, we wanted to interpellate the worlds of fashion and luxury, during this important week for them, where the spotlight is really put on their activities. In our opinion, we must also focus attention on everything that happens before the creation of clothes, before the fashion shows, namely the production of fashion and the danger of the materials it is using. 

You denounce the danger created by the farming of animals exploited for fashion, is that right?

The exploitation of animals for their skin (read the latest PETA Asia investigations on snakes and crocodiles here, AN) and their fur, yes. We denounce the complacency of certain actors in the fashion world towards the suffering of animals such as minks, chinchillas, raccoons, raccoon dogs, even cats and dogs sometimes, which are raised in small wire cages, without space, in large, unsanitary hangars. They often do not see the light of day and live a stressful and frustrating existence, before being killed in extremely violent ways. They are electrocuted, clubbed, sometimes drowned. In addition to the cruelty of the production of fur and leather, we want to highlight the serious health risk that these animal farms pose to the whole world. During this pandemic, a link between fur farms and the spread and mutation of the Coronavirus was established, in dozens of countries such as France but also the United States, Canada, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Lithuania, etc. In recent months, many countries have shut down their mink farms, such as Denmark, which slaughtered 17 million minks infected with a mutant form of Covid-19. Why take such a risk, put yourself in danger for fur coats, which you don't need, when you know that fashion must switch to alternative materials that are cruelty-free and safer for us.

In your press release, you indicate that “according to the World Health Organization's mission in China on the origin of the new Coronavirus, the preferred thesis remains that of transmission via an intermediate host”, which means that the Covid-19 would probably have migrated from bats to an undetermined species, before infecting humans. In your opinion, intensive animal farming, exiguous and unhealthy, could thus turn out to be breeding grounds for pathogens, favorable to the development of the current pandemic and even future pandemics?

There are various theories, one of which is the transmission from minks raised for their fur. Mustelids (from Latin mustela meaning weasel, family of carnivorous mammals, AN), and in particular minks can catch this virus, transmit it to each other, the danger being that they also transmit it to humans.

What is the situation of mink farms in France? Four farms are still active at the present time, is that so?

There were four farms, until recently. But one of them recorded cases of Covid-19 contamination. The animals have been slaughtered and this farm will no longer reopen its doors. There are therefore three still in operation. At the end of January, the bill project aimed at strengthening the fight against animal abuse was adopted by the National Assembly. If the law is adopted by the Senate, mink farms will have to close, within two years, after the text is enacted. The text is not yet on the Senate calendar. We hope it will be soon. Taking this delay into account, the three farms are expected to close within three years. It’s a long time for three farms but it’s good news.

On January 29, after the adoption of the bill project at the National Assembly, the animal protection association L214 published the following tweet: “2 years! This is the deadline adopted by the National Assembly to close of mink farms. The health emergency and the horror for these animals did not seem to worry the majority of the deputies.” Do you agree with L214, would you like the mink farms to close earlier?

Absolutely. In fact, this is what happened in the Netherlands, a country hard hit by the Coronavirus crisis in its mink farms. There, the deadline to close the last fur farms, which had been set at 2024, has been brought forward. We are asking France for the same decision to close early, without waiting for 2023. We have also launched appeals to this effect to the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili, appeals to which many personalities have joined. These three farms represent less than twenty employees. It would be quite possible to help them and support them in retraining. We could do it quickly.

What about rabbits in all of this?

Rabbits are also bred in France for their fur. But being domestic animals, they do not fall under the bill to strengthen the fight against animal abuse which applies only to wild animals, minks, foxes, etc. There is no fox breeding in France but that means that none will be able to open in the future. Since rabbits are domestic animals, used not only for their fur but also for their flesh, their meat, they fall under the domain of the Minister of Agriculture and not of the Ecological Transition. But in our opinion, the cruelty is the same. These are practices that really should not exist. We have animals that are parked, by the thousands, in totally unsanitary conditions, that are sick and stressed. You don't have a virus associated with rabbits, but you never know. These are ideal circumstances for disease and epidemics.

What commitment are you asking from Paris Fashion Week? To ban leather and fur, like Helsinki Fashion Week or Stockholm Fashion Week? To turn to alternatives to animal derived-materials, such as cactus Desserto, for example, a PETA Approved Vegan alter-leather, on which H&M has recently set its sights (more information in this Boudoir Numérique article)?

To ban animal derived-materials and switch to innovative alternatives. So much exists today: faux furs, alter-leathers made from pineapple and grape waste, but also from mushrooms and kombucha. Today we have real ecological solutions. It is encouraging to see that we are able to invent solutions that are more respectful of the planet and animals and that certain fashion brands are investing in alternatives that make it possible to meet consumers' expectations in terms of the environment and animal welfare.

The health crisis has highlighted the advantages of local manufacturing and made in France in fashion. But I have the impression that while the pandemic has heightened public awareness of the need to consider environmental issues, the movement has not been so strong for those of animal suffering. What do you think about that?

It is extremely important that everyone cares more about the environment, about our impact on the planet and more and more about the impact of the fashion industry on the environment. I tend to agree with you that the environment and global warming are seen as more urgent. However, when we know that these animals suffer every day for their skin, that their daily life is just misery, that too is extremely urgent. But, in fact, the two things go hand in hand. We have taken a huge step forward in the last two to three years in terms of animal welfare in fashion. A lot of big brands, at all levels, and especially in the world of luxury, have stopped using fur. Some have likewise stopped using exotic skin. Maybe it's less visible, but it's at the heart of people's concerns and brands have understood it. We are in contact with the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility, by which companies take into account, in their strategy, the environmental, social, economic and ethical issues of their activities, AN) managers of the brands. We know that they want to be informed, to offer collections for their vegan customers, to stop using the worst materials to meet the expectations of their consumers. Environmental and animal causes go hand in hand and are increasingly taken into account by brands.

Plastic recycled from ocean debris at Iris van Herpen (more info here), brewed proteins at Yuima Nakazato (more info here)… These recent examples show that innovative materials now have their place even in haute couture, symbol of luxury and French tradition…

Luxury is at the forefront of innovation. It's the sector that leads the game for the rest of fashion. It's great to see luxury brands doing innovative and ethical things to save animals and respect the planet. Iris van Herpen worked on the theme of feathers, for example, without any bird feathers. We can imitate the nature that fascinates us so much - and that's why animal skin and derived-materials are so fashionable - without causing animal suffering. And it's wonderful to see that in the luxury world. It's fascinating to observe that you can do things differently from what you've always done, using mind-blowing materials you never would have thought of, like recycled plastic or seaweed.

There is also virtual fashion. We see it at The Fabricant, Tribute Band or Carlings. You can buy a virtual outfit to wear in a photo on Instagram, for example. What thoughts does this phenomenon inspire you? 

I had never been told about it before, but for me, any way that is good to stem fast fashion and to stop using animals in fashion is a very good thing. While we spend, with the pandemic, a lot of time in front of our computer, in the digital world, virtual fashion, yes, why not? 

* More information on the “Coronavirus loves Paris Fashion Week” campaign in this press release from PETA France. More info on PETA Asia's latest snake and crocodile investigations. PETA France website. PETA website.

* Sign the petition to ask LVMH to abandon exotic skins at Louis Vuitton and all of its other brands.

* Sign the petition to ask Hermès to stop using crocodile and alligator skin.

* Read the bill project aimed at strengthening the fight against animal abuse in France.

* You don’t want to miss any fashion tech and beauty tech news ? It’s easy, subscribe to Le Boudoir Numérique newsletter !

* Continue reading on materials innovation in fashion with these Boudoir Numérique articles:

- Innovative materials - H&M uses Desserto cactus alter-leather in its Science Story collection

- Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture SS21 - Iris van Herpen’s dress in recycled plastic by Parley for the Oceans

- Paris Haute Couture Week SS 2021 – Lauren Wasser, muse of Yuima Nakazato X Spiber biofabrication

- Mylo by Bolt Threads - Adidas will use mycelium alter leather to create footwear

- H&M's Bottle2fashion project : a kidswear collection with recycled polyester

- Green Machine and Looop, the recycling machines of H&M with HKRITA

- Mickey Mouse T-shirts in recycled plastic

- Rihanna awarded by PETA for her Fenty faux leather collection

- "Our apple leather sneakers are another step towards sustainable and circular fashion"

- PETA - "Technology can help end the exploitation of animals for fashion"

- "Disrupt leather industry with a respectful and innovative alternative"

- "Biofabrication promotes eco-responsible fashion"