VICTORY! Lacoste Stops Selling Angora

Angora wool is an incredibly popular material for winter clothing. Known for its soft texture and warmth, everything from scarves to socks and sweaters can be found in angora. But while some might consider this material “luxurious,” most people do not understand the cruel process that goes into producing angora clothing. Angora is made from the fur of rabbits. Although an Angora rabbit can be sheered of their fur, in order to produce the high volume of wool needed to make all this winter’s styles – animal welfare often falls to the back burner.

To harvest the most fur possible, rabbits are strapped into leg restraints and stretched before their fur is forcibly plucked from their sensitive skin. As you might imagine, this is an incredibly painful and terrifying experience for a rabbit. Around 90 percent of Angora wool is imported from China where there are very little laws in place to protect these animals.

Thankfully, as more consumers learn about the cruelty involved in producing their winter clothing, the industry is beginning to phase Angora out of their product lines. In fact, Lacoste has just announced that they will be removing all angora products from the shelves of their stores this winter!

Lacoste’s decision to pull angora from their collections comes after retail giant, French Connection agreed to remove angora from their supply chain – a decision that was largely influence by a campaign run by PETA U.K. Lacoste confirmed with PETA that they have no plans to “use angora fibers in its coming collections.”

PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman stated in a press release, “By committing to ending all angora sales and pulling this vile product from its international websites and shelves, Lacoste has done the right thing for animals and consumers. Angora production is cruel, and PETA urges the few remaining retailers selling angora, including Benetton, to learn from Lacoste’s experience and show that cruelty to animals has no place in their stores.”

To thank Lacoste for their kind action, PETA sent a box of vegan chocolates to the Lacoste headquarters in Troyes, France. Way to go Lacoste!

Image source: Garitzko/Wikimedia Commons