This week’s Dior Paris Fashion Show was interrupted by a protester from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), highlighting the use of feathers in the fashion industry. Natasha Garnier, a PETA France activist originally from Bengaluru, entered the runway wearing a faux-feather dress designed to resemble bloodied, plucked skin, aiming to draw attention to the cruelty behind feather products.
Breaking! 🚨@PETA_France just stormed the @Dior runway to protest the use of cruel feathers in fashion 🪶Have you spotted the “bloodied live-plucked skin” on the back? #FeathersAreForBirds #ParisFashionWeek #VeganFashion #DiorSS25 #Dior pic.twitter.com/kHfVChflrL
— PETA UK (@PETAUK) September 24, 2024
The protest followed American singer and actress Lady Gaga’s recent appearance at the Paris Olympics in a Dior dress adorned with ostrich feathers. Garnier, a special projects campaigner at PETA France, expressed her dismay, stating, “Every feathered item represents unimaginable suffering. Animals are denied the right to live free from harm for the sake of fashion – they’re beaten, skinned, and killed.”
She added, “By disrupting this show, we exposed the cruelty hidden behind the glamour. The world must choose compassion over cruelty because no trend justifies the loss of innocent lives.”
PETA claims ostriches are among the most exploited animals for feathers in the fashion industry. The organization released footage from the world’s largest ostrich-slaughter companies, showing young birds confined to feedlots, transported to slaughterhouses, and electrically stunned.
Dior, a French luxury fashion brand, previously stated that it only uses feathers collected through natural moulting. However, PETA counters that selling naturally moulted feathers cannot meet the high demand of designers, leading to widespread animal abuse within the industry.
This incident mirrors a similar protest during Victoria Beckham’s Paris Fashion Week show in March, where activists held signs reading “Viva Vegan Leather” and wore shirts advocating against animal skins before being removed by security.
