Community
Print
Lingerie company Victoria’s Secret & Co has made the decision to no longer use cashmere in its products.
The ban will apply to both Victoria’s Secret and PINK-branded items sold throughout the world. The company is currently thought to be operating in more than 60 countries, including India, the US, and the UK.
Animal rights organization PETA claims to have pushed executives into taking action. It showed them evidence of the cruelty endured by goats in the cashmere industry. Suffering includes painful combings to remove their soft hair and subsequent wounds.
“Victoria’s Secret’s decision is a win for the countless gentle goats who will be spared the agonizing ordeal of someone ripping their hair out,” Tracy Reiman, PETA’s executive vice president said in a statement.
“PETA asks everyone to help goats keep their hair by choosing vegan fabrics, which aren’t produced by condemning animals to a lifetime of suffering.”
How is cashmere made?
PETA previously investigated the conditions and treatment experienced by goats reared on cashmere farms in China and Mongolia. Together, the two supply 90 percent of the world’s cashmere.
In a gruesome video, farmers are seen restraining goats, who scream in pain as their soft underbelly hair is torn out. Many are injured during the process, which sees large metal combs used to access the softest hair. This is found underneath an often matted topcoat.
PETA’s undercover footage found that cashmere farmers routinely stood on goats and manipulated their limbs to prevent the animals from moving. Any injuries incurred did not receive veterinary treatment, and animals were left in apparent pain until they were killed.
Once a cashmere goat is deemed unprofitable, they are slaughtered by having their throats slit.
In the footage, some goats were hit on the head with hammers beforehand, but all were left to die on the floor once they started to bleed out. The goats were then sold for meat.
Victoria’s Secret executives were sent the investigation findings. Since then, they have opted to remove all cashmere products from future collections. The company currently has no cashmere on sale and has no plans to introduce any.
Victoria’s Secret has previously removed Angora rabbit fur and alpaca fleece, again following interactions with PETA.
Asos, Mexx, and 39 other fashion companies have also dropped cashmere in favor of animal-free alternatives, such as Tencel and bamboo.
