I Crashed Milan Fashion Week To Speak Out For Animals – Here’s Why
As the lights slowly dimmed in the large show space, I took a deep breath. The most hyped show of the 2023 Fashion Week season was about to start - and I was due to step onto the catwalk any moment. But not because I was one of the models. The truth was that I was an intruder, about to storm the runway with an animal-rights message for People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA), and none of the people sitting in the neat rows in front of me - some of whom the world's biggest celebrities and renowned fashion editors - had any clue.
It was the day when Sabato De Sarno, the new creative director for Gucci, was presenting his debut collection in Milan. His show was hotly anticipated by the entire fashion world, and that's how PETA knew that it was the right target for one of our catwalk disruptions. For several years, we'd had a campaign calling on Gucci to ban the use of exotic skins - leather made from the skin of exotic animals such as snakes, lizards, crocodiles, ostriches, alligators and others. The investigative footage from Gucci's suppliers, taken by PETA Asia, shows a reality far from the glamorous exterior of high-end fashion boutiques: lizards are slaughtered on the ground, with dirty tools, by being crudely decapitated, which causes them a prolonged, agonising death.
And this is far from the only instance of animal abuse in the exotic-skins trade. Other investigations by PETA Asia have revealed workers inflating live snakes with air to stretch their skins at Louis Vuitton's suppliers, while crocodiles at farms that supplied Hermès were killed by having their necks sawed open, after being shot in the head. This violent, grim footage provides a stark contrast to the perceived luxury of the accessories made from these animals' skins - which are sold to a handful of consumers for soaring prices.
Following the investigations, brands such as Burberry, Victoria Beckham, Paul Smith, Hugo Boss, Chanel and Mulberry have all given up exotic skins. However, there is still a lot of work to be done, which is why I was here today. Exotic animals aren’t generally considered to be “cute” or “cuddly”, which means that we can sometimes be reluctant to remember that they are as sentient as cats, dogs, cows, or pigs. They feel pain and fear just like you or I do, and they suffer no less than other animals when tortured for fashion.
It definitely wasn't my first time sneaking in somewhere - but this was no street party in my home town of Brighton, UK. Security at the Gucci HQ was tighter than the dresses Sabato De Sarno sent down the runway, and with a swift location change on the morning of the show, my mission had become even more complicated. But where there is a will there is a way, and after some intricate prep work, I found myself in the dimly lit room with Anna Wintour, Ryan Gosling, Kendall Jenner, and other A-listers who were about to become witnesses to my runway moment. My heart was beating as if it were about to jump out of my chest as I glanced at the security guard only a few feet away from me. What if he realised I was up to something and grabbed me before I managed to run out on the catwalk? Then it would all have been for nothing.
Inside my minuscule vegan-leather bag (made from corn waste!) was a folded-up sign with the message Gucci: Ban Exotic Skins. I pulled it out and held it discreetly hidden behind the press releases that each show attendee had received. As the music began to play and the first models showed up on the catwalk, I knew that this was my chance. Without waiting too long, I tossed the press releases aside and strode resolutely out on the runway.
Infinite thoughts had raced through my mind during the day. There were so many things that could have gone wrong with an action like this. My biggest fear had of course been not being able to sneak into the show, but another was accidentally holding my sign upside down. The aim was to get in front of the heaps of photographers gathered at the front of the catwalk - so that the message would be brought to press all over the world. And I succeeded, albeit briefly, before two security guards dragged me out of the show space. Walking down that runway, a wave of excitement washed over me: I had done it. While being escorted outside by the security staff, all I could feel was relief. It was done, and our message would be spread wide in the press and on social media, seen by thousands of people.
In today’s world of information overload and countless protests happening, it’s easy for companies to disregard activists and continue with unethical practices. But when we bring the message where brands can’t ignore us – on their own catwalks – it really makes them sit up and listen.
My hope for the future of fashion is that actions like this will no longer be needed. I envision a Fashion Week season where all runways are free from the skins, fur, wool and feathers of tormented animals. And it’s not just a pipe dream: nearly all major designer labels have banned fur from their collections, following decades of activism like this. Without a doubt, exotic skins will be next. As far as I’m concerned, I will keep standing up for the animals objectified by fashion, in any way I can, until vegan catwalks are a reality.
Written by Sascha Camilli
Sascha Camill is a writer, speaker and vegan fashion expert. She founded the world's first digital vegan fashion magazine Vilda, and is the author of Vegan Style: Your Plant-Based Guide to Beauty, Fashion, Home & Travel. Her podcast, Catwalk Rebel, is out now.
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