People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) conducted the first-ever investigation of its kind that has uncovered the haunting reality of how mohair is made. Commonly used in garments like sweaters and scarves, mohair is made by shearing the undercoat of Angora goats. PETA’s investigation went into 12 goat farms in South Africa, where half of the world’s mohair comes from. Goats were caught on camera being dragged and lifted by their horns, legs, and tails, aggressively sheared while they screamed in pain and bled, and then thrown across the floor. On top of this, goat farmers admit that countless goats (40,000 in just one weekend!) die after careless shearing that leaves them exposed to the elements. Thanks to this eye-opening investigation, the groups owning popular brands like H&M, Zara, TopShop, and Gap have all pledged to end their use of mohair!

Helena Johansson, a spokesperson for H&M Group, told the Washington Post, “The supply chain for mohair production is challenging to control — a credible standard does not exist — therefore we have decided to ban mohair fiber from our assortment by 2020 at the latest.”

stop using Angora rabbit fur in 2013 following another PETA investigation, and more recently, major fashion influencers like Gucci, Armani, and Versace announced pledges to end their use of fur – joining many other popular designers who already shun fur, like Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Vivienne Westwood, and Stella McCartney, just to name a few. Additionally, San Francisco banned the sale of fur this year, joining Berkeley and West Hollywood who have already had similar bans in place, further proving that conscious consumerism is truly changing the fashion world on a grand scale.

Want to become more of a conscious consumer and make sure your dollar does not Support animal cruelty? Director of evidence analysis at PETA, Dan Paden, has some effective, simple advice: “The most effective way to prevent goats from suffering and dying in the ways we’ve seen is by going directly to retailers and consumers … What’s ultimately going to keep more goats from going through this is when retailers pull their Support for the industry, and informed consumers leave the mohair products on the shelves and buy something else that doesn’t have as much cruelty woven into it.”

Remember to share this great news with your network as a reminder that in the fashion world, cruelty is OUT!

Image Source: Pixabay