Stella McCartney Makes the Case that Animals Should Be Friends, Not Fashion

Paris fashion week took a walk on the wild side at the Stella McCartney runway show this week where models walked alongside life-size animal figures, including rabbits, cows, a fox, a horse, and a crocodile.

The animal appearances were a playful statement from McCartney, whose brand is completely vegetarian, on the use of animal products in the fashion industry.

“What we try to do here at Stella is to sugarcoat a powerful, meaningful message in a little bit of humour and fun, to make our point in a palatable and digestible way so that people listen,” said McCartney in a statement to The Guardian. “These animals are the ingredients of everyone else’s fashion shows. We are the only luxury fashion house in the world that isn’t killing animals on the runway. I wanted to make that point, but in a joyous way.”

To drive the point home, the models who were attired in the animal costumes, carried this season’s cruelty-free accessories as they walked in the show, including a vegan leather handbag and purses made of second-life plastic. The brand does not use animal leather, skin, feathers, or fur.

See McCartney’s fashion with a conscience below.