Speciesism and the Animal Cruelty Behind Fashion

Fashion is many things, but there is a side to that world where brands, especially luxury brands, exploit animals for leather bags, fur coats, and leather boots. Have you heard of speciesism? It means discriminating by valuing some species over others. And fashion is guilty of it. Why is it so hard for this industry to leave animals out of the equation? A glove does not need to mercilessly come from minks or a baby calf. Really, a baby calf. There is absolutely no excuse, nothing will or can justify it. No coat or accessory is worth another living being’s suffering. Can fashion swear to cruelty-free? Will that ever be possible? Can it stop making money from this? No animal, no living being, should be subjected to this suffering, especially for a bag or shoe.

The most exploited animals in the fashion industry are cows, sheep, and others for leather, as well as minks, foxes, rabbits, and other animals for fur. Reports suggest there could be 4 to 5 billion animals used in fashion every year. That is 4 billion voiceless lives dragged, caged, and skinned for fashion. The World Animal Protection article speaks about the pain and inhumane side of fashion with zero compassion.

Sharing just one example out of millions, crocodiles are considered exotic and rare, and are highly sought after for high-end items like luxury handbags. A Guardian article from four years ago talks about an Australian farm set to hold 50,000 crocodiles for luxury Hermès goods. This was questioned by animal welfare groups. 

The exposé documentaries like Slay are eye-openers to the dark sides of fashion and animal cruelty, encouraging viewers to rethink their choices and reconsider where their clothes come from and what ethical alternatives might exist.

One aspect of Slay also shows how some buyers did not even know they were buying animal products. This discrepancy or lack of awareness is important to address, to close the gaps in information and choice.

Why don’t we still see cruelty-free fashion everywhere? Why do animals have to be hunted for garments and accessories? It is shameful that alternatives like fruit leather from apple waste, plant waste, mycelium, and many other ethical materials are still not common.

Where is the moral line placed?

Many animal welfare organisations are fighting every day for voiceless animals who cannot defend themselves. Yet the world remains largely silent. Just like pets, farmed and wild animals feel fear, pain, and love, their lives are no less valuable. A life is a life, regardless of species. The right to live freely, without cruelty, cannot be limited to humans alone. After all, life on Earth began long before modern humans existed. Every being shares this planet and deserves the same respect and freedom to exist.

We would be running out of pages talking about the cruelty towards animals in fashion. In short, a scarf, a coat, a pair of boots, or a bag does not need the sacrifice of animals. Of all the dark sides of fashion, the dehumanizing of living beings stands out.

We need an ecosystem that protects every being.

Because if we keep drawing moral lines based on profit, popularity, or species, we are not evolving, in fact, we are going back to the stone age. Fashion must not have a future where life is reduced to material and beings are skinned for style. It cannot continue to decide which lives matter based on species, cost, or how soft the skin feels. If we demand freedom and safety for ourselves, we must extend that same right to all living beings, without selective empathy.

Let us know how and what you think can stop this. Be the voice of the voiceless.