Animal Defender Storms Paul Smith Catwalk at Milan Fashion Week
A dramatic protest unfolded at Milan Fashion Week on Saturday (20 June) when an animal defender stormed the catwalk during Paul Smith’s men’s show, holding a sign reading, “Paul Smith: Drop Mohair!”
Goats Beaten, Dragged, and Restrained
The disruption comes after a recent PETA Asia investigation exposed widespread abuse on South African mohair farms – including one with ties to Paul Smith’s mohair supplier. Video footage from the facilities shows goats being violently beaten, dragged by their horns, legs, and tails, and forcibly restrained as they cry out in pain and fear. As workers are paid by volume, rather than by the hour, they prioritise speed over any concern for the animals while shearing – often leaving the animals with deep, bloody wounds.
The investigation also documented dead goats – including a young kid – discarded in piles at a facility that was supposedly operating under “responsible” certification standards. Disingenuously named “high-welfare” mohair exists to ease the conscience of the consumer, not to better the lives of animals.
PETA Supporters Protest at Milan Fashion Week
PETA supporters also gathered outside the venue to call for the brand to stop using mohair. An activist dressed as a mohair farmer aggressively sheared the hair from another activist dressed as a goat as she cried out in pain. Invited guests and passersby were forced to confront the real screams of goats used for mohair, which were played on a speaker.
Goats Are Someone, Not Something
Goats are intelligent, sensitive individuals who form strong bonds with their babies. Mothers and their young quickly learn to recognise one another’s unique calls, yet in the mohair industry, these bonds are routinely broken. Goat kids are shorn when they are still babies, and once their hair quality declines or they are no longer considered profitable, they are killed – often years before the end of their natural lives.
PETA is urging Paul Smith to follow the growing list of designers and retailers that have already banned mohair and to embrace compassionate, animal-free materials instead.
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