- Don Lichterman
- Jun 20, 2019
- 4 min read
Resolved Issues include that Prada to go fur-free in 2020, Elephant rides at Angkor to stop in 2020 & Canada passes 'Free Willy' bill banning whale and dolphin captivity!
Prada has announced it will stop using fur in its products and design beginning in February 2020. The decision applies to all of the Italian fashion house's brands, including Miu Miu, Church's, Car Shoe and Prada itself. It will come into effect after the Spring/Summer 2020 women's collection.
The announcement is the result of a collaboration with the Fur Free Alliance, a coalition of more than 50 animal protection organizations from 40 countries, which led a campaign to pressure Prada to go fur-free in 2018. Prada has also worked with The Humane Society of the United States and LAV, an Italian organization for animal rights.
"The Prada Group is committed to innovation and social responsibility, and our fur-free policy (...) is an extension of that engagement," head designer Miuccia Prada said in a statement. "Focusing on innovative materials will allow the company to explore new boundaries of creative design while meeting the demand for ethical products."
"With the Prada Group's fur-free announcement, one of the biggest names in fashion just became a leader in animal welfare and innovation for generations to come," PJ Smith, director of fashion policy at The Humane Society of the United States, said in a statement.
Joh Vinding, chairman of the Fur Free Alliance, applauded the decision and noted that "The Prada Group with its brands now joins a growing list of fur-free brands that are responding to consumers' changing attitudes towards animals."
Prada has clarified to CNN that the decision is limited to fur and that it will continue to sell leather and other products that are considered to be a by-product of the meat trade.
Commenting on the decision, PETA said in a statement that while it applauds Prada for joining the list of fashion houses that are dropping fur, it now urges the brand to "follow in Chanel's compassionate footsteps by also removing cruelly obtained exotic skins -- including crocodile, lizard, and snake skins -- from future collections. Most shoppers no longer wish to wear anything from any animal who was electrocuted, bludgeoned, and killed."
Among the fashion houses that have given up fur, according to the Humane Society International, are Burberry, Armani, Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Coach, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Diane von Furstenberg, Furla and Bottega Veneta. Designers that are still selling fur in the UK include Fendi, Max Mara, Celine, Valentino, Saint Laurent and Dolce & Gabbana. Read More about Prada Going Fur Free.
Elephant rides at Angkor to stop in 2020!
Cruel elephant rides at Cambodia's famous temples are now coming to an end. The overworked group of 14 elephants will no longer be forced to work at Angkor Wat, where over 2.5 million international tourists visit each year.
They will be transferred to a conservation and breeding centre by early 2020, the The Angkor Elephant Group Committee confirmed.
Canada passes 'Free Willy' bill banning whale and dolphin captivity
A mother and a baby killer whale pictured off Puget Sound in Washington State in 2015.
Canada's House of Commons passed a bill Monday to make it illegal to hold a whale, dolphin or porpoise captive, punishable by fines up to $150,000 USD.
It's known colloquially as the "Free Willy" bill, named after the 1993 movie in which a young boy frees a killer whale from a US amusement park."Nothing fantastic ever happens in a hurry. But today we celebrate that we have ended the captivity and breeding of whales and dolphins. This is news to splash a fin at," animal rights group Humane Canada said in a tweet.
Nothing fantastic ever happens in a hurry. But today we celebrate that we have ended the captivity and breeding of whales and dolphins. This is news to splash a fin at. #bills203 #emptythetanks #cdnpoli Thank you everyone. pic.twitter.com/7j49YkEmpy — Humane Canada (@HumaneCanada) June 10, 2019
The bill is expected to become law. It was introduced in the Senate in December 2015 and was already approved there but must return now and gain "royal assent."The Green Party of Canada celebrated in a statement Monday. "These intelligent, social mammals will now get to live where they belong -- in the ocean," the party said.Dozens of supporters of the bill used the hashtag #emptythetanks to celebrate on social media.
#Breaking: When we work together, good things happen. This is a combined effort from @ElizabethMay, Senators Moore and Sinclaire, key Liberal and NDP MPs, NGOs, marine scientists and everyday people across Canada.#FreeWilly pic.twitter.com/RRPB91tT9y — Green Party Canada (@CanadianGreens) June 10, 2019
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