Monsoon Accessorize Ditches Down Feathers Following Talks With PETA

For Immediate Release:
17 January 2017

Contact:
Olivia Jordan +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 229; [email protected]

MONSOON ACCESSORIZE DITCHES DOWN FEATHERS FOLLOWING TALKS WITH PETA

Fashion Brand Expands Animal-Friendly Policy After Learning That Birds’ Feathers Are Ripped Out

London – International fashion, homeware, and accessories retailer Monsoon Accessorize has banned the use of down feathers in its products. After learning from PETA that many birds are live-plucked for their feathers – which are yanked out so hard that gaping, bloody wounds often result – the company is adding down to its list of banned materials, which already include fur and angora.

“Every day, PETA hears from shoppers who oppose cruelty to animals and want to support retailers that share their values”, says PETA Director Elisa Allen. “By keeping down feathers off their racks, Monsoon Accessorize is proving yet again that compassion is the fashion.”

PETA (whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”) revealed in a recent video exposé of goose farms in China – the source of 80 per cent of the world’s down – that workers pin geese down and rip their feathers out as they struggle and scream. Many birds endure this torture multiple times before finally being slaughtered. Down is also linked to the cruel foie gras industry – which force-feeds birds so that their livers swell up to 10 times their normal size and then sells the diseased organs – as many producers of foie gras boost their profits by selling the feathers of birds on their farms.

Monsoon Accessorize has over 1,000 stores around the world and is recognised for its modern bohemian aesthetic, high-quality fabrics, and handcrafted techniques. The brand joins other high-street stores – including Topshop, Whistles, Warehouse, Primark, Oasis, and many more – that have banned products made with down.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

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