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PETA has once again taken aim at the fashion industry with its satirical website called ‘Urban Outraged’. (Yes, that name is a play on Urban Outfitters). The Urban Outraged website looks like any fashion brand website. It features a variety of goods - jackets, skirts, pants, accessories etc.- all made from “human leather.” The pictures show bloodstained bags and shoes, flesh colored dresses and jackets, all looking rather realistic. With peaking dark humour, the website's banner reads: “The leather’s on you. The shipping’s on us.”
Urban Outraged wears its shock value on its sleeve, claiming its leather as something “Hollywood’s dying to wear.” Each product is named after the person used to make it. Also, each product page gives a graphic description of the manufacturing process. For example, the product description for their ‘Avery Jacket’ says “Avery’s leather is natural and one-of-a-kind—after all, there was only one Avery...As Avery was only 22 when she was taken away from her friends and family, the jacket should age beautifully. She came pre-tanned and was then flayed while still alive.” The manufacturing process gruesomely adds, “To keep Avery’s hide in perfect condition, extremely sharp knives were used during the skinning process to produce as little stress as possible.” To quote one of our content interns: “It’s PETA. What else would you expect?!”
In a statement to the press, PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman said that “a cow’s skin belongs to her.” Reiman pointed out that cows feel “fear and pain in a slaughterhouse...as much as you or I would.” Reiman concluded by urging consumers to think of the animals used to make animal fur, leather, etc.
We at Fashinza agree with Reiman. We believe that slaughtering animals for their skin, fur etc. is an outdated practice. Please consider avoiding genuine leather products as you shop for this holiday season. The market is brimming with faux leather alternatives, many of them being vegan in nature. There’s no justifiable reason why anyone should continue to indulge in cruelty.
For our readers who think they can stomach taking a scroll through Urban Outraged website, we’re leaving the trail here.