Stella McCartney pakt ‘barbaarse’ verenindustrie aan

The British fashion designer Stella McCartney presents vegetable alternatives to real feathers in its latest collection. With this, the animal rights activist tackles the ‘barbaric’ bird farming for clothing. “I have been having a conversation for more than 30 years about not killing cows, goats, snakes or any living animal for the production of shoes or handbags in my industry,” McCartney told AFP after her show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday evening. “But I did not realize that long ago that feathers are a completely different barbaric part of the industry,” she added.

During her entire career, the 51-year-old daughter of Beatles legend Paul McCartney consistently insists on vegan, animal-free alternatives to the standard materials in industry, such as leather and exotic skins. Her solution for replacing feathers in Tuesday’s show was a new product called ‘Fevvers’, produced by a British start-up. The show was attended by, among others, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright and Ice Spice. With the help of the embroidery and textile house Chanakya International established in Mumbai, the imitation pages are carried out in soft pastel shades. They give lightness to two dresses in pink and blue, and bodies. “We have grown grass, naturally painted and then stitched by hand on beautiful silhouettes. You get the same effect (as feathers), and you will not kill billions of birds,” said McCartney.

‘Good substitutes’

Exotic springs have been a fixed part since the creation of the fashion industry. In nineteenth-century Europe and North America they were considered a status symbol for High Society. The gradual introduction of legislation for the protection of wild animals prevented wild birds to finish as decorations on hats or bellows. Although egrets, Liervogels or parakeets are now protected, the modern fashion industry still uses springs in huge quantities. These are mainly feathers of cultivated ostriches, which are held in circumstances that are criticized by action groups. “Feathers used for fashion are taken from birds such as ostriches, chickens, turkeys or ducks. Many bring their entire lives locked up in bio-industries or bare sites,” said Yvonne Taylor of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) action group.

Severe chickens and ducks from the poultry industry often deliver the feathers for the ubiquitous down jackets that can be seen in the streets worldwide. Fashion author Dana Thomas, writer of the book ‘Fashionopolis’ about the environmental performance of the industry, told AFP that luxury brands with more purchasing power should join McCartney to achieve real change. “She (McCartney) does not have the influence or means to buy large and really change the paradigm with biomaterials,” says Thomas. She added that there are ‘so many good substitutes’ for the animal or petroleum -based products that still prefer large brands.

McCartney is also a pioneer in the use of Uppeal, a material made from recycled apples that resembles crocodile leather, and from Econyl, which is produced from nylon waste and fishing nets. On Tuesday evening she also used pure.tech in her denims for the first time. This material, developed by a Barcelona company, has air -purifying properties and absorbs carbon dioxide, among other things.

Peanut

According to Thomas, the global fashion industry, dominated by companies such as Kering, LVMH or Zara, does not do enough for research and development. The industry is ‘not willing to take the risk of buying substances that are better for the planet, but cost more money’. “Although it should be an industry that puts trends and tells us what is happening in our culture, it is actually a very old -fashioned business,” she said.

The campaign to phase out springs is gaining strength, although they remain a fixed part of many celebrity dresses for the red carpet and bridal outfits. Just like fur, feathers of wild birds are banned in the past two years during various secondary fashion weeks, including in Amsterdam, Melbourne and Berlin. “Just as designers embraced the ban on mink, fox and rabbit fur, there is now a momentum for a ban on springs,” Taylor said to AFP in a written statement. However, they still allow the largest fashion weeks – in Paris, New York, London and Milan.

McCartney, former designer at the French brand Celine, acknowledges that ‘Fevvers’ is still in an experimental phase. The company behind it needs financial support and possibly legislative changes, such as a ban on animal feathers, to become successful. “It is very interesting that this technique cannot be taken into production, while killing masses of birds in some building is in production,” she said.