Valentino, UNIQLO and Other Companies Ban Alpaca Wool
PETA is changing the fashion industry and making the world a kinder place for animals! After a first-of-its-kind PETA exposé of one of the world’s largest alpaca wool producers revealed that crying alpacas were roughly shorn, cut open, and left bleeding from deep wounds, PETA and its international affiliates persuaded a number of companies to make the compassionate decision to ban alpaca wool. Below, you can find a list of brands that have banned alpaca wool, from casualwear brand UNIQLO to high-end designer Valentino. Be sure to check back, as we’ll update it whenever new companies make the commitment.
- Colovos
- ESPRIT
- JackRabbit
- Maison Numen
- Marks & Spencer
- Overstock.com
- Smith and Caughey’s
- UNIQLO
- Valentino
What Alpacas Endure
PETA U.S.’ investigation of the world’s largest privately owned alpaca farm in Peru, Mallkini, shows that workers slammed alpacas—some of whom were pregnant—onto tables. Workers tied them tightly by the legs into a restraining device reminiscent of a medieval torture rack and pulled hard, nearly wrenching their legs out of their sockets.
Terrified of being pinned down, the animals spit, cried out, and vomited in fear as shearers grabbed them by the ears, stole their wool, and threw them to the concrete floor. Their cuts were then crudely stitched up.
Alpaca Wool is Terrible for the Planet
In addition to causing gentle alpacas immense suffering, the Higg Materials Sustainability Index ranks alpaca wool as the second most environmentally damaging material after silk, noting that it’s six times as harmful as polyester and more than four times as damaging as modal, viscose, rayon, lyocell, acrylic, and other vegan materials.
Using Animal for Wool is Cruel
Look in your dresser and closet. Are you still wearing wool? If you are, please stop. Whether it’s stolen from a sheep, an angora rabbit, or an alpaca, wool belongs to animals whom humans have no right to intimidate, beat, or kill. No matter where it comes from or what assurances companies give you, wool is a product of cruelty to animals, which is rampant in the industry.The good news? There are many sustainable vegan fabrics that you can wear instead.
