FEATHERS ARE

THE NEW FUR
Cruelty in Disguise© Keppler, Udo J.

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR© Pexels/Jesús Esteban San José

Authors: Emma Hakansson; Dr Naomi Bailey-Cooper,
World Animal Protection Researcher

CONTENTSPREFACE

4

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY5INTRODUCTION

6FEATHERS IN FASHION

8FEATHER USE BY THE FASHION INDUSTRY

8

PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF FEATHERS IN FASHION

13

NO TRANSPARENCY AND FALSE LABELLING

15

OSTRICH FEATHERS:AS DEADLY AS FUR

16

FEATHERS FROM OTHER WILD BIRDS

24

BIODIVERSITY, ZOONOTIC DISEASEAND SPECIES THREATS28

INNOVATING BEYOND
FEATHERS IN FASHION

30

FEATHER-FREE POLICIES34

CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS36

REFERENCES

38

4

Since then, progress has beenmade. Our engagement with theindustry has seen major shows
like Australian Afterpay Fashion
Week ensure that no fur or exotic
skins were exhibited in its 2022show and Melbourne Fashion
Week updated its policy from2024 to include a ban on wild birdfeathers making the event the firstin the world to commit to such aban. Copenhagen Fashion Week
has also committed to going fur
free, and alongside this millionsof European citizens signed the© The Bowes Museum

In 2022 World Animal
Protection and Collective
Fashion Justice published
our first joint report on
the use of wild animals infashion. “Cruelty is Out
of Fashion” documented
the horrific reality thatevery year millions ofsentient wild animals
are farmed, captured
and slaughtered for theirfur, skins and feathers,
destined to be made into
garments, shoes andaccessories. The report,
and the campaign welaunched with it, calledon brands to move to themany more responsible,
ethical and sustainable
solutions that are alreadyavailable, and for the
major international
fashion shows to refuse
to exhibit wild animalderived materials.

EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
FEATHERS IN FASHION

Fashion’s exploitation of wild birds for their feathers is thousands of years old andpersists today. Wild birds, both captured from their natural habitat and confinedin factory-farm conditions, are killed and plucked for feather trims. Increasingly,
feathers are being used as an alternative to fur. Unfortunately, this move from fur
to feathers is far from ‘cruelty-free’, resulting in significant suffering, mutilation andunjust slaughter for ostriches, peacocks, pheasants and other birds.
European Citizens Initiative callingfor a Fur Free Europe. Major
brands have also updated theirpolicies, ruling out fur and the useof wild animal skins. These arewins that we celebrated and willbuild on.
The progress on fur and wild
animal skins has not been matchedby similar progress in ridding
fashion supply chains of feathers.
Feathers are the new fur: cruelty
in disguise seeks to address thatby shining a light on the shocking
injustices involved in feather
production. Ostriches in particularsuffer in their thousands on barren
feedlots across South Africa,
Asia and Europe, sometimes live
plucked before an early death. It
is unacceptable that these animals
continue to suffer for their feathers,
particularly when their skins are
FEATHER REPORT

increasingly banned from use
in an effort to protect them.
Our work on feathers and fashionis part of the global movement toevolve the fashion industry beyond
the exploitation of wild animals.
These individuals do not exist as
commodities for our profit, but
as fellow sentient creatures withintrinsic value who are deservingof safety and a life in their natural
habitats they contribute to andlive off of.
The fashion industry has a majorrole to play in ending the threatsfacing wild animals. We willcontinue to work with the industry
to build the more just, humane,environmentally responsible andsafe fashion industry that is not
only possible, but exciting, creativeand – in the face of changing
community attitudes – inevitable.

© The Trustees of the British Museum

PREFACE
FEATHERS IN FASHION

The feather trade is not only
unethical but unsustainable. In
one of the leading ostrich feather
production countries, South Africa,
land degradation and clearing for
ostrich feedlots are recognised asserious environmental problems,
and the industry is a contributor
to the climate crisis. In order tobe used for fashion, all feathers
must be processed and often
dyed, including with formaldehyde
and other harmful carcinogenic
substances. After chemical
processing, many feathers areunlikely to remain biodegradable.
With more than 1,300 of theover 11,000 bird species on Earthunder threat of extinction, the tradeof wild bird feathers adds pressure
to the ongoing biodiversity crisis,and can contribute to the spreadof zoonotic diseases.

A lack of awareness of theseintertwined issues means thatfashion brands and retailers
who now ban the use of wild
animal skins, including ostrichskins, continue to use ostrich andother wild bird feathers, unawarethat these are sourced from thesame cruel and destructive supply
chains. Mislabelling and theinability of consumers to correctly
identify feathers compared to faux
fur or other animal-free materials
also helps to prop up demand.

from animal inputs are alreadyavailable and involve 3D
printing, the use of recycled andbio-based materials, as wellas luxurious embroidery andfabric manipulation techniques.
Collective Fashion Justiceand World Animal Protection
recommend that the fashionindustry responds by prioritising
investment in more responsible
alternatives and implementing
policies banning the use of
all feathers.

As with fur and wild animal skins,
public sentiment surrounding
the exploitation of birds fordecorative feathers is alreadyevolving. Soon their use will beconsidered an unacceptableirresponsibility, a cruel fauxpas. Innovative solutions free

Fashion has always been about
innovation and creativity: twocharacteristics that lend themselves
to moving beyond the archaic
exploitation of birds for theirfeathers, and towards a moresustainable, ethical and alluring
fashion future.

FEATHER REPORT

5

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR© Pexels/James Lee

6

INTRODUCTIONFEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

The use of feathers as
decoration in fashion
dates back tens of
thousands of years.
Throughout history,
wild bird species havebecome severely
exploited, endangered
and extinct for the sakeof fashion, and thisserious problem persists
today, often in a highly
industrialised setting.
In this report, we explore
fashion’s current useof ‘exotic feathers’, orfeathers from wild birds,
as well as the use offeathers for the purposeof decoration, rather
than insulation.

While whole birds were once
stuffed and mounted atop hats, withhummingbird heads placed insidelarge gold earrings as a show ofluxury and extravagance,1-4 the useof wild bird feathers has become
more covert over time, even when
their use is plentiful. This is perhaps
due to a growing disconnect
between citizen-consumers andnature,5 along with a lack ofunderstanding of where products
come from and at what cost.6-8
New polling commissioned byCollective Fashion Justice highlights
how few consumers are aware thatthe many feather-trimmed dresses,
shirts and skirts sold by luxury andfast fashion brands alike are indeed
made of bird feathers, rather thanplant-based or other animal-freematerials.9
The majority of decorative feathers
used in the fashion industry today
belong to ostriches. Once on
the brink of extinction due to thefeather trade, today these wild
birds are bred on farms andconfined to feedlots before being
plucked, slaughtered and pluckedagain.10 Other wild birds including
peacocks and pheasants continue
to be exploited too, and manyfeathers used in fashion are soldwithout species-specific labelling,increasing the risk of illegal wildlife
trading for fashion’s feather use.
The fashion industry’s wildlife tradeposes zoonotic disease risks, andis associated with biodiversity
destruction.11, 12 Importantly,
breeding and confining wild birds
rather than capturing them fromtheir habitat is not a solution, butrather creates a different kindof cruelty.
Wild and domesticated birds used
for their feathers in decorative
fashion are systematically
exploited, denied their natural
instincts, and ultimately killed.
While many brands have begun

using feathers like those fromostriches as an alternative to furin an attempt to avoid cruelty,
this decision is misguided. Thesebirds are confined in unnatural
systems and ultimately sent tobrutal slaughterhouses profitingfrom both their skins and further
plucked feathers, used by the
fashion industry.13
While further material innovation isrequired to produce a diversity ofalternatives replicating the qualities
of feathers, a range of creative
alternatives already exist today.
Luxurious brands making use of
3D-printed, recycled, plant andbio-based feather alternatives are
creating decorative appliquesthat appreciate rather than takefrom nature. Fashion is all about
exploration, innovation and new
ideas, making the transition beyond
historically used, unsustainable andunethical feathers an important
aspect of fashion leadership.
Despite a growing number ofbrands and retailers banning exotic
skins, including ostrich skins fromthe same supply chains producing
feathers, only very few havebanned exotic feathers from wild
animals.14 We recommend that the
fashion industry moves to ban theuse of wild bird feathers and otherdecorative feathers, replacing thesewith innovative, sustainable, entirely
animal-free and more responsible
materials. Similarly, we call on
fashion week events to ban thesefeathers from their shows. We
encourage the industry to invest inmaterial innovation to best replace
them, and that material scientists
acknowledge a potentially lucrative
market gap in the next-gen material
space, in which decorative feather
replacements are not being widely
explored. Finally, we recommend
global governments consider
feather sale and import bansas many have with fur.

7

FEATHER USE BY THE FASHION INDUSTRY
The feathers of wild birds
were first used as wearable
decoration when our
Neanderthal relatives areevidenced to have worn thedark feathers of birds of prey.1

In the Western world, feathers cameto signify social importance.7

18th century
Hats, fans and accessories particularly
popularised the use of ostrich feathers.
At this time, Marie Antoinette began
piling feathers on her wigs, and thefeather trade only boomed further as
fashion developed as an industry.12, 13

In early 1900s England, it was noted that bird
hunters were offered payment for heron feathers
worth twice their weight in gold. Herons were
‘on the verge of extinction’ at the time, while
just one auction house sold heron plumes fromnearly 193,000 birds in 1902.13 In Australia,
ancient lyrebirds dating back 15 million years
came close to extinction due to the feather
trade, and some global species became extinct,
such as (New Zealand) Aotearoa’s Huia,13alongside North America’s only endemic parrot,
the Carolina parakeet.19 Egrets and many otherspecies nearly saw the same fate.20
The mounting of whole birds, as well as partsof stuffed birds onto hats for decorative appeal
and status was growing in the late 1900s.8

9

H IS TO RI C AL US E

Ancient and continued
cultural use
Around the world, many Indigenous
Peoples have and continue towear decorative feathers withsymbolic meaning. 4- 6

During this time and thenfollowing an increase incolonialism and trade, many
new and ‘exotic’ animal-derived
materials came to Westernmarkets, considered exciting
and luxurious.8 This continued
through the Renaissance,9 and in
the early 16th century, millinery –the art of hat making – hadrisen again.10, 11

Mid to late 1800s, the Victorian era
In 1851, London’s Great Exhibition
showcased included a presentationfrom ornithologist John Gould,
offering stuffed hummingbirds,
referred to as ‘living gems’.14
The lust for wild bird feathers as aform of fashion was so rampant
amongst both the wealthy andthose of ‘lesser means’ acrossNorth America, Europe, and theBritish Empire that species cameclose to or became extinct.17, 12 In
1866, ornithologist Frank Chapman
observed 700 hats in New York
City, noting that 542 includedfeathers from 40 different species.17
By 1892, a single London auction
room sold ‘6,000 birds of paradise,

5,000 Impeyan pheasants,
400,000 hummingbirds, andother birds from North and SouthAmerica, and 360,000 featheredskins from India in a single week.’18
That year, an estimated five million
birds were killed for status-driven
millinery in North America alone.12© Gates Sofer© Stuart Humphreys/
Australian Museum

Killed and worn purely for decoration,
history is full of similarly featheredfashion.2 Wealthy ancient Egyptians
wore ostrich feathers on their heads.3

Early 15th toearly 17th century© Achille Beltrame

Ancient feather use for fashion© The British Museum

19th century© Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun

8

© Matthaus Schwarz

Middle Ages

© Giorgio Bardelli

44,000 years ago

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR© Lilian L. Pitts© Gettyimages

FEATHERSIN FASHIONFEATHERS ARE THE NEW FURFEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHER USE BY THE FASHION INDUSTRY

For as long as feathered fashion
has been popular, efforts to cease
its associated cruelty have existed;
Virginia Woolf wrote harshly onfeathered millinery – which was
also tied to the exploitation of
Jewish immigrant women andgirls – and people worked
successfully to pass laws acrosscountries which protectedbirds.12, 21, 16 In 1918, for example,
the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
passed in the United States,
prohibiting the hunting, killing,
trading, and shipping of migratory
birds while regulating America’s
commercial feather trade.23 This
was a direct result of women
petitioning against plumed hats,
instigated due to feathers being
used more as decorative elements
than for any practical means.

10

However, while some wild birds
have gained protections, wildlife
protection policies also became
altered to allow for the industrial
farming and killing of thesewild birds.
Most notably, ostriches began
being bred specifically forslaughter in South Africa in the
mid-1800s, as wild populations
rapidly vanished due to hunting
driven by the fashion industry.23, 24
Though this captive population
increase did allow free-roaming
populations some solace, themove ultimately only increased
the scale of ostrich suffering.
While fewer birds were mounted
on heads as time passed, newtrends arose; feather boas andheadbands in the roaring 1920s,
feather-trimmed evening wear
through the 1950s and 60s.25, 26
Through the latter half of the 20th
century and into the 21st, both
the dramatic and delicate use offeathers has persisted in fashion.

CONTEMPORARY USE
Today, the industrial
rearing and killing of
ostriches for their skins
and feathers is big
business, and both legal
and illegal trade of bird
species persists in fashion
supply chains.1, 2
Bird species that have been
selectively bred and industrially
farmed continue to be confined andkilled within fashion supply chains.
Ostrich feathers are particularly
popular today due to theirsoftness, durability, and ability tohold vibrant dyes. Barbules areoften removed from the centre
shaft of these feathers, commonlyused to achieve the feeling of
movement, volume and softness.
Peacock feathers are often used
for their striking iridescence, whileturkey feathers are less expensive
and more readily available.
Shaft© World History Archive/Alamy Stock Photo

Quill© Germanier, photographed by DOOR11© Charles E. Steinheimer© Charles E. Steinheimer

BarbulesFeathers are used to add texture,lightweight volume, delicacy andanimated movement to clothing
and accessories, from feathered
hems on skirts and dresses tofeather trims on collars and cuffs.
As well as earrings, necklaces,
and brooches, shoes and bootsadorned with feathers havebecome increasingly popular
in recent years. Designers havealso been experimenting withmore dramatic uses of feathers,
creating statement pieces such asfeathered capes and jackets.
Couture embellishment creator
Lemarié’s changing use of feathers
is reflective of the wider industry’s
continued exploitation of birds
for fashion in a changing way.
Lemarié’s archive of prohibitedrare and exotic feathers is
extensive and includes birds ofparadise, herons and egrets.3
In lieu of using these today,the ‘exotic’ names are given to
Lemarié’s contemporary feather
collection; such as ‘marabou’made from turkey down, rather
than marabou stork. Thesefeathers are subsequently dyed,
painted, and cut to achieve themost ‘exotic’ appeal, whose
relationship is far from theoriginal raw material.

Renowned fashion photographer
Alexi Lubomirski engages withcreatives in the fashion industry,working towards fur, exotic skinand exotic feather-free pledges.
Lubomirski told Collective Fashion
Justice that many brands today
have replaced their use of fur
with feathers, often unaware thatfeathers are similarly cruel, notsimply swept up off the floor
without harm to the birds.

“In my talks withdesigners to sign theCreatives4Change
pledge, I have foundthat even if they areopen to stopping theuse of fur and exotic
skins, the use of feathers
is still held on to. The
designer’s reasoning isthat in order to maintaina feeling of fantasy andmystique in their designs,
which had previously
been provided by the
fur trim or fur lining, they
feel they need to utilisefeathers in its place.”4– Alexi Lubomirski© Christian Cowan, photographed by Vogue

While such destructive
cruelty was consideredhighly appealing by
many in the past, the useof birds in fashion has
long been controversial.

© La Métamorphose,photographed by Carlo Scarpato

HISTORICALOPPOSITION TO
FASHION’S BIRD
EXPLOITATION

11FEATHER USE BY THE FASHION INDUSTRYPUBLIC PERCEPTION OF FEATHERSIN FASHION

The use of wild birds and theirfeathers is not exclusive to high-end
and luxury fashion, with fast fashion
retailers also using them, including
brands Zara, H&M, and Mango.

Ultra-fast fashion retailer Boohoo
has a section on their website
dedicated to feathered dresses,
made up of a total of 72 products,
ranging from £5.00 to £149.25 at
the time of writing. The dress priced
at £5.00 has a feather trim at thehem likely made from turkey down,
while the £149.25 priced dress
features feathers on the hem andsleeve, likely made from ostrichfeathers. Both dresses describea ‘feather trim’ in the productdescription but do not include
feathers in the listed material
composition, meaning customers
are not made fully aware of what
they’re purchasing.11

Citizen consumers
have similarly fallen
for the false notion offeathers as a crueltyfree and responsible
alternative to fur. New
independent pollingcommissioned for thisreport in 2023 exploredpublic perceptions acrossAustralia and the United
Kingdom regarding theuse of feathers from wild
animals in fashion.1
Across both markets, anunderstanding of the immense
cruelty involved in producing
fashion with feathers from wild
animals is very limited. At the sametime, at a principle level, the vast
majority of people maintain that
it is not acceptable to farm andkill wild animals for clothing andaccessories. Positively, this mayalign with a potentially strong
and growing recognition thatwild animals are not objects forcommercial exploitation, regardlessof how an industry may operate.

© Gettyimages

The iconic Italian fashion housesof Gucci, Prada and Valentino
are clear examples of this. Having
banned fur in 2017, 2019 and2021 respectively,5 each brandcontinues to incorporate feathers
into their collections. In recent years,
Gucci has increasingly trimmed
coats and dresses with ostrichfeathers, even including a melangeof feathers as part of embellishment
on a popular designer bag, theDionysus shoulder bag (parrot
embroidered). In their Fall/
Winter 2023 collection, amongst
garments made using a variety
of faux fur, Gucci featured alook embellished entirely in black
ostrich feathers, alongside two
hats reminiscent of military bearskinhats, also made using ostrichfeathers.6 Prada has similarly
used feathers from ostriches andturkeys, in a range of feathered
pieces, including feathered skirts,
feather-trimmed jackets, headwear
and headbands, as well as totes.
Some of Prada’s placing of ostrichfeathers around the face has beenvisually reminiscent of a fur-trimmed
hood, albeit lighter in weight, also
pointing to the transition from fur
to feathers.7 In their Fall/Winter2023 collection, Valentino alsoheavily relied on ostrich and turkey
feathers for decorative purposeson garments and shoes.8 Within
the same season, many otherfashion brands including Loewe
and Burberry used a range ofmanipulated feathers to achieve
specific textural effects.9, 10© Gettyimages

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR© Valentino

12

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR“Do you think the farming
and killing of wild animals
for fashion and accessories
is acceptable?”

Once people understood that
ostriches are killed in the feather
industry, the vast majority did notwant to support this:AUS
82% ‘no’70%UK
88% ‘no’

76%

AUS

UK
17%

“Do you know how ostriches
are farmed and slaughtered
for their feathers and skins?”
AUS
86% ‘no’UK
88% ‘no’Across both markets, just 30%(AU) and 33% (UK) respectively
understood that feathers cannot
be obtained from ostriches
without causing harm to them,with about one-third of surveyed
people being unsure, and anotherapproximate third incorrectly
thinking feathers could becollected without any harmto the animals.

14%

Highly likely to avoid feathers
Somewhat likely to avoid
feathers
Perhaps unsurprisingly then,
84% (AU) and 87% (UK)of people polled believed thatbrands that did not use feathersin their collections were ‘more
ethical and sustainable’ thanthose that did.
Unfortunately, a lack of awarenessassociated with what feathers
used in fashion really look like may
mean that citizen-consumers arebuying into cruelty unknowingly.

13

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF FEATHERSIN FASHIONNO TRANSPARENCY AND FALSE LABELLING

21% and 16% of people
thought the trim was madeof plant-based fibres.
8% and 10% of people thought
the trim was made of faux fur.
19% and 18% of people
confessed they weren’t surewhat the trim was made of.
Just 12% of people across bothmarkets correctly identified
the ostrich feather trim.
The similarity in perception
between animal feathers, faux
fur and feathers, as well as plantbased fibres, is an opportunity forthe fashion industry to continue
to make fantastical and mysticalcreations, without harm to
ostriches or other birds.

© Taller Marmo

14

More concerningly, numerous
brands and retailers – offering bothcheap and high-end products –were found to be selling garments
which were not advertised as
made with bird feather trim, despite
this being the case. Some brands
included images of dresses clearly
trimmed with real feathers labelled
as made with a ‘faux fur’ andeven ‘faux feather’ trim. These
included THE ICONIC, Revolve,© Cettire

41% (AU) and 44% (UK) ofpeople thought this trim wasmade of ‘faux feathers’.

Cettire, Harrods (though the
products were out of stock, thoughstill listed), SENSSE, Net-a-Porter,
Boohoo and Nordstrom.2 In
fact, a Google search for a ‘faux
fur trim dress’ returns numerous
sponsored results featuring ostrichand other feathers.2 For this report,
independent technical textile
analysis through microscopy andchemical solubility testing was
performed by Microtex, confirmingthat a number of genuine animalfeathers were inaccurately labelled
as ‘faux’ or synthetic by brands
including THE ICONIC, Boohoo,
Selfridges, and ASOS.2
Following testing, all brands
were notified of these findings.
Encouragingly, The Iconic is
now engaged in a collaborative
process with Collective Fashion
Justice and World Animal
Protection, committed to releasing
a revised animal welfare policythat protects birds by not
permitting any use of decorativefeathers. The retailer is also using
these findings as an opportunity
to improve communication
practices with its partner brands
to avoid future mislabelling.
Meanwhile, ASOS requested
specific information about

mislabelled products, andfollowing our engagement andadvice, have pulled flagged
products and are revising theirstrategies to prevent future
mislabelling. In the case of ASOS,
their product testing strategy,
which had been ineffective inmonitoring for genuine feathers, isbeing reassessed with extra testing
required to establish a feather
is faux, as required. A policy
banning the use of feathers was
implemented by ASOS in 2019,with an exception for ‘Responsible’or ‘Traceable’ Down Standard
feathers.3, 4 No such traceability
standard exists for ostriches. Whenreal ostrich and other feathers
are listed as ‘faux feathers’ on theretailer’s website, people eager
to make animal-friendly purchases
are unable to, despite their best
efforts. This error highlighted theimportance of proper compliance
procedures following industry
policies, and the value of importbans at a government level, which
could alleviate these risks.
Cettire, Nordstrom, Selfridges
and Revolve did not respond toany communications, and otherbusinesses have responded, but
at time of writing had not taken
appropriate action.
© The Iconic

Collective Fashion Justiceand World Animal
Protection’s analysisof feathered fashion
products sold online
found that material
composition labelling isoften partially hidden,
only able to be read bythose consumers whoclick an option to readmore about the productin question. As a result,people who assume
feathers are not indeedfeathers may miss thisinformation before
incidentally making apurchase that does notalign with their values.

© The Iconic

When presented with an imageof a dress which featured ostrichfeather trimmed sleeves, the vast
majority of people across theUnited Kingdom and Australia
could not identify this trim correctly.
In fact, the vast majority mistook
ostrich feathers for totally animalfree materials.

15© PETA© Gettyimages

OSTRICH FEATHERS:AS DEADLYAS FUR

16

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

Ostrich feathers are themost commonly usedof all wild bird feathersin the fashion industry
with an estimate of overone million birds being
killed each year.1 Whileostrich feathers were once
largely reserved for use
in costumes for burlesque,Carnival dancers, jazzclub singers and theheads of wealthy women,
today ostrich feathers are
mainstream in fashion.
Spotted floating off thebacks, sleeves and trimsof celebrity dresses andoutfits at the Met Gala,
the ostrich feather trend
trickled down throughluxury brands and into
the high street, before
landing in online storespushing the fastest of
fashion.

While data varies across sourcesand ostrich farming occurs aroundthe world, South Africa dominates
the market,2 producing as muchas 70% to 85% of ostrich products,
which include feathers, skins
and meat.2, 3 In the country, 350
ostrich-rearing facilities raise birds
for slaughter, mostly in the Western
Cape, with a large amount offeathers exported to Europe.2
About 90% of ostrich products areexported, highlighting the powerof the global fashion market overthis industry.2
Trade information from the industry
is difficult to obtain, but the valueof the international feather tradeis estimated to be worth asmuch as $8.3M USD by some
representatives.2 While this is not
an enormous valuation, feathers
are far less valuable than ostrichskins, which are sold for asmuch as 70% of the total income
derived from a slaughtered bird.2
As such, feathers are a valuable
co-product, the sale of which

financially supports the exotic
skin industry. According to theindustry, feathers account for
between 10-30% of total income
upon slaughter, with the feathers
sold to the fashion industry being
more valuable than those used forfeather dusters or other products.4
The ostrich feather industry is also
growing in China, Brazil, andsome parts of Europe, particularlyin the east. Some reports evenstate that feather production in
China and Brazil is now moresignificant than that in South
Africa.1 Concerningly, almost no
information about animal welfare
and environmental impacts
associated with the industry acrossthese nations is available. As
such, in this report, we primarily
explore practices in South Africa,
where the ostrich industry remains
strong and issues related to it are
more clearly documented. Thesefeathers are approved for EU
sale and used as the basis ofinternational industries.

17

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

Rearing ostriches
Ostriches are the world’s largest
and fastest birds.5, 6 Standing up to
three metres tall, these social birds
can run long distances at a speedof nearly 50 km per hour, sprinting
at nearly 70 km per hour. Theirnatural habitat is found in morethan 25 African countries full ofsemi-arid plains, such as savanna
biomes, and in woodlands. 7
Despite being able to move thedistance of a mid-sized family
car in one stride,8 ostriches in thefeather industry are mostly all

Live feather plucking
confined to barren feedlots where
they do not graze naturally.9
Ostrich industry production
requirements do not specify
how much space birds should
be offered, leaving this at thediscretion of businesses
prioritising profit.10
When ostriches are not given
adequate space to roamnaturally, it causes them distress.
These mighty birds have been
documented on South African
feedlots repetitively biting theair, chewing at wire fences, anddisplaying other common signsof psychological distress.11, 12
With many ostriches confined tolarge feedlots, risks associatedwith this type of production system,
such as lameness, can occur.13, 14
Ostriches naturally feed on
grasses, shrubbery, berries, seeds,
succulents, and sometimes insects
as well as small reptiles. 7 In thefeather industry, birds are fed acrude mixture of hay, grain andoilseed products with cost being amajor factor in how birds are fed.9

Common misconception sees
consumers believe that feathers
can be collected from the groundafter ostriches moult, but this is not
the case for the industry supplying
fashion brands. The ostrich feather
industry practices live plucking,and considers feathers derived
from this process as those of thehighest quality. During this process,hooded bags are often placed
over the heads of ostriches, in
an attempt to subdue them thus
decreasing injury risks for workers,
leaving the birds unable to see.10
The official South Africa website
states that 60% of feathers are

sourced from birds who are
already dead, while the rest areplucked from breeding birds who
are later slaughtered. 4
The feather industry claims that‘gathering’ of feathers – thosepulled out of the skin – causes nopain or tissue damage, as ‘ripe’feathers are pulled out of ostrich’s
skin. In reality, it is not financially
viable to individually pluckfeathers from each bird only when
they are ‘ripe’ and without pain.
Instead, birds are often all plucked
over the same period, with manyfeathers pulled out painfully.

The only birds who are liveplucked are those who are also
exploited by breeders to continue
the supply of chicks who will beslaughtered for their skin, feathers
and flesh.9 Breeding birds areoften not sent to slaughterhouses,
but killed on location when they
are no longer profitable.16 Thesebirds, as well as others who do
not make it to a slaughterhouse
due to age or injury, face agruelling death. The industryapproved methods of on-farmkilling include blunt force trauma
killing, for example with a hammer
to the head.10© PETA

19© PETA

18

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

The ostrich feather industry
is a slaughter industry
While a growing number ofbrands have banned ‘exotic skins’
including ostrich skins, a lack ofindustry awareness means thesebrands continue to fund theindustry killing for these skins bypurchasing feathers producedin the same supply chain.
There are only two ways forfeathers to be collected fromostriches: through live plucking
and cutting, or plucking after

A lack of effective legal
protections for ostriches
slaughter. Our desktop research
has found no ostrich feather
production systems that do not
ultimately slaughter the birds.
Despite a natural lifespan of
40 years old,17 ostriches in thefeather supply chain are killed
as young as nine months old.18
On ostrich feedlots, while somebirds are killed sooner, twelve
months old is considered the
optimal slaughter time to ensure

peak profitability, though this age
is dropping to eleven months
old.9 At slaughter, under 1.4kg
of feathers can be plucked fromeach bird.9
Before slaughter, birds are legallydenied food and water for up to
24 hours and travel for up to eight
hours between a feedlot and theslaughterhouse causing stress andconfusion for these animals.9

While most ostriches are killed
in South Africa, these animals
are also raised for production
purposes in Australia, theUnited States and some partsof Europe.20-22 Across the global
industry, ostrich farming is subject
to differing animal welfare
standards and recommendations
depending on the country.
However, these are often filledwith loopholes and open toindustry interpretation, using theterm ‘should’ rather than ‘must’or ‘shall’ in a large amount of
guidance related to the treatmentof ostriches.9
For example, it is recommended
under Australian codes thatunwell ostrich chicks ‘should
be destroyed by dislocating
the cervical spine’, however,the code also stipulates that‘alternatively, chicks can be
decapitated’.18 With no mandate
on humane euthanasia should an
animal be terminally ill, farmers areleft to choose what is convenientto them, regardless of the impact
on the young chick.

© PETA

20

In South Africa, ostrich production
requirements are self-describedas flexible, reducing their efficacy,
and feather production facilities
are not externally audited forcompliance.9 Most importantly,
while industry documentationrefers to production ‘requirements’,these are not in fact legal
standards but requirements forcertification by the South African
Ostrich Business Chamber.9 South
African animal welfare laws areinaccessible to the public without
paying a fee, and are written in
a way which makes the legallybinding nature of animal welfare
codes dubious.23
In the US, there are just threefederal laws that protect farmed
animals, including ostriches, andthese only cover transport andslaughter practices.24 With nofederal laws regulating animal
welfare on farms and feedlots, thetreatment of ostriches is practically
totally controlled by state law,which is full of gaping loopholes,25
and individual businesses thatprofit from the slaughter of thebirds. In the US, and in factglobally, information regarding theostrich industry is scarce. In the US,
no publicly and readily available
standards for the farming of
ostriches exist.
The combination of thesepoor industry standards
with legal exemptions which
intentionally exclude animals
bred for profit – including
ostriches – from broader
animal welfare legislation
results in a global system
in which ostriches are often
not legally protected fromcruelty on feedlots or inslaughterhouses. These
exemptions exist in South
Africa, Australia, and the US,
as in every country aroundthe world. 26

21

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUROSTRICH FEATHER PRODUCTION:PEOPLE AND PLANET

22

PLANET
While ostrich feathers
may be a ‘natural’material, this does not
automatically renderthem sustainable. In
fact, feathers are often
unnaturally altered after
they are processed, andthe rearing of ostriches
impacts both the landand climate.
South Africa’s ostrich industry
emits some 62,134 tonnes ofcarbon equivalent emissions eachyear, with both the production
and processing of feathers being
more climate-intensive than ostrichskin production.1 As a point ofcomparison, a single sheep
can emit approximately 8.5kg
of methane in a year, while an
ostrich emits 5kg.1 Methane is a
shorter-lived greenhouse gas thancarbon, but it is far more potent,

making curbing methane emissions
critical to addressing the climate
crisis quickly.2 The climate impact
of sheep and other ruminantanimal production is recognised
broadly in the scientific community,
including in Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) reporting.3
The United Nations has longrecognised farmed animal
production as ‘one of the mostsignificant contributors to today’s
most serious problems’. Yet, theacknowledgement that these calls
relate to other farmed animals suchas ostriches is not yet standard.4
Beyond the climate footprintof ostrich feather production,inefficient land use and associateddegradation is a growing
problem. While increased
environmental awareness of thissustainability issue is positive, theSouth African Department ofAgriculture refers to this awarenessas a ‘threat’ and ‘concern’ tothe industry. 5 As much as 70%
of primary production variable
costs in the ostrich industry aretied to feeding these great birds,
though this varies depending on
the rearing system type. Younger
birds in large operations areoften grown and fed in ‘lucerne
camps’ where hay is planted andgrown as feed on land cleared
for production before birds areolder than four months.5 Owing
to the land clearing impacts ofthis lucerne production, ‘damage
to the unique fynbos flora in
the Klein Karoo [the country’s
primary ostrich ‘producer’] is aconcern that has been raisedby environmentalists’. 6
According to an industry
document, to prevent further
ecological harm Klein Karoo
facilities essentially raise juvenile

While feedlot operations minimise
the amount of land being trampled
and degraded, lucerne andother feed is still grown offsite,6
increasing energy use throughtransport and highlighting animal
production as more inefficientin its use of resources and land
than recycled and plant-based
production systems.9 Imported
grains for feed and irrigation ofplanted feed in drought-ridden
areas are additional environmental
impacts tied to feather production.6
Finally, the manure fromfacilities rearing ostriches poses
environmental pollution problems,
as in other animal-rearing
industries.10 Particularly in feedlots,
freshwater ecotoxicity caused bymanure runoff and associatedeutrophication can be a problem.
Water-related environmental issues
persist when slaughterhouses are
considered as these facilities areoften extremely water intensive
due to the amount of blood, urine,
faeces and other fluids which must
be cleaned each day.11 Further
water pollution can occur at thispart of the supply chain, too.

Processing anddyeing feathers
Feathers are cleaned, bleachedand then dyed for the fashionindustry.12 According to the
UK government, feathers
imported into the country musthave been processed in linewith EU regulations. One suchacceptable form of processing
is with formaldehyde, a known
carcinogen, and other often
toxic substances.13
Near to no information isavailable from brands usingfeathers regarding how thesefeathers have been processed.
Some of the chemicals usedduring both processing anddyeing can render feathers, aswith other materials, no longer
effectively biodegradable.14
When feathers are so often cut
and dyed to look very different
from their original source, thistransformation should pose thequestion, why not use more
ethical, non-animal materials
and sustainably transformthese instead?
© Dinodia Photos/Alamy Stock Photo© PETA

birds to slaughter age through afeedlot system.6 Feedlot systems
are cruel, depriving animals of arange of species of their capacity
to enact natural behaviours.7 This
trade-off between some reduced
environmental impacts andincreased risks of poor welfare
highlights the need for fashion toview sustainability through a ‘total
ethics fashion’ lens, in which thewellbeing of people, our fellow
animals and the planet must be
considered all at once.8

PEOPLEThe well-being of thepeople in ostrich feather
supply chains is also ofconcern. People working
in slaughterhouses areat high risk of physicalinjury, particularly whenworking with sharp tools
used for slaughteringand butchering at highspeeds.15 These risks may
be higher when working
to kill such large andpowerful animals suchas ostriches.
The violence inherent to the ostrichfeather trade can permeate
outward from cruelty towards
ostriches and into human suffering,
too. Research published in the Yale
Global Health Review highlights
the prevalence of ‘perpetrationinduced traumatic stress’, orPITS, in slaughterhouse working
populations. With the same
symptoms as PTSD, including‘anxiety, panic, depression,increased paranoia, a senseof disintegration, dissociationor amnesia’, PITS is consideredpart of the ‘psychologicalconsequences of the act of killing’.16
Specific to the South Africanindustry, additional and serious
concerns are faced by theseworking people. Collective Fashion
Justice has received anonymous
reports that workers are underpaid
as well as threatened andpunished for attempting to discuss
improved working conditions.

23

OTHERDECORATIVEFEATHERSFROM FACTORY FARMS
AND THE WILDLIFE
TRADE

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

A number of otherbird species arealso exploited by the
fashion industry today.
A similar story of opaque
production processes,
cruel confinement or
corrupt wild capture
exists across these
species and the feathers
plucked from them. Here,we highlight the issues
behind just three othersources of decorativefeathers.
Species: Peacocks
Habitat and behaviour:
Male peacocks and female
peahens (both colloquiallyreferred to as peacocks) belong
to the pheasant family. The blue
peacock is native to India and Sri
Lanka, while the green peacockis found from Myanmar throughto Java.1 The latter is classified as
endangered by the International
Union for Conservation of nature(IUCN), considered as possibly
extinct in parts of Bangladesh,
Malaysia and India.2 The Congopeacock lives in its namesake
Democratic Republic of theCongo, and is listed as nearthreatened, with between 2,500
and 9,999 mature individuals
alive.3 These birds thrive in warmand humid climates. A peacockcan live for as many as 25 years
and even longer if they are notexploited or slaughtered. 4
Use in fashion:
Peacock feathers are used inmillinery, couture and other fashion
where the bold colours andpatterns are considered a selling
point for a product.

© Gettyimages© Gettyimages

24

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

Feather trade:
The peacock feather trade isshrouded in secrecy with veryminimal information available
about it. The industry’s lack oftransparency was perhaps most
famous in 2013 when Burberry
sold a £22,000 coat made fromwhat were claimed as “100%farmed golden peacock feathersfrom India”, even while theinternational trade of peacockfeathers is heavily controlled due
to poaching and associatedpopulation decline.5-9
Following investigation, it was
revealed that the feathers werefrom birds in a facility in China,
exported to New York before
being sent to India for sewing. In
China, where there is a similar lackof transparency into the peacocktrade, two journalistic photoseries in 2017 and 2020 gave aglimpse into the treatment of thebirds.10, 11 In the images, birds arewrapped and taped-up in plasticbags that enclose all but theirnecks and heads during transport
to protect the financial value of
their tail feathers.

In India, it appears that onlyfeathers ‘shed naturally’ areaccepted for sale,12, 13 and theformer can only be ‘verified’ byanalysis of the end of the feather,which is often bloodied whenplucked. However, these feathers
can be cleaned and the feather
shaft simply removed.8 This
provision for possession of peacockfeathers in legislation has led toalleged ‘rampant killing of the bird
across India for the highly lucrativefeather business’, according to local
media.9 This illegal trade of wild
poached, live-plucked peacockfeathers results in immense pain forthese birds and has reportedly led
to an increased number of deathsof India’s national bird.14
Oxford Martin’s Wildlife Trade
Programme estimates just 10% of
illegal trade to be detected byagencies, with an even smaller
amount reported to media.8 Withso little transparency and such highrisks of cruelty and poaching –continually identified by localorganisations working to protect
wildlife – the peacock industry ishighly problematic.15

25

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

Feather trade:
Both wild captured and confinedpheasants are exploited for theirfeathers which are sold online
by many smaller suppliers. As
with other feather supply chains,transparency in the sale ofpheasant feathers is near to non-

26

Species: Turkeys
Habitat and behaviour:
Farmed turkeys have the same
natural instincts as their wild
relatives such as enjoying exploring
their environment, performing
grooming activities with othersociable turkeys, and dustbathing.19
Use in fashion:
Used as a cheaper alternative
to ostrich feathers, these feathers
are light and fluffy, often used asa trimming on dresses and othergarments.
Feather trade:
Marabou feathers were once
plucked from wild marabou storks,
derived from their fluffy white
undertail down. Today, the term
‘marabou’ is used to describe acertain look of soft, down feather
trimming, which is now most often
derived from young, factoryfarmed turkeys.20

Due to a consistent lack of properlabelling, it can be extremely
challenging to know all of the wild
and other bird species used andexploited for fashion. For example,
Robert Wun’s widely celebrated
Spring/Summer 23 collection
featured a wide range of feathers
that were only labelled as ‘feathers’,
rather than with any speciesspecific label.26 This appears to
be a standard practice acrossthe fashion industry, resulting ina troubling lack of transparency.
The feathers used by Wun had
long, thin shafts, with a smaller
amount of barbs shaped into a
diamond at the end of the feather,rather than all along the shaft.

The factory-farming of pheasantsis tied not only to the feather
and meat industries but also
to further recreational hunting,where wealthy individuals pay
for these birds to be released on
their properties, so they can shootthem for ‘sport’. Investigations into
this complex web in the United
Kingdom found birds kept withclips on their beaks, packed
tightly together in crowded,
metal-gridded pens.18

Across the world, the vast majorityof birds,21 including turkeys, areconfined to factory farms with little
to no enrichment before they areslaughtered at a small fraction of
their natural lifespan. Birds areroutinely denied their capacity to
exhibit natural behaviours. They
face skin sores from ammonia
build up in filthy conditions,22
and their toes and beaks arelegally burned to shorter stumps,
making handling and confinement
more manageable and reducing
scratches on other birds.23, 24
Most turkeys are cruelly
slaughtered before they are
sixteen weeks old, and they arethen plucked.25 Younger birds
have even softer feathers. No
marabou turkey feather suppliers
identified by Collective Fashion
Justice provided any information
about the living and slaughter
conditions of birds.

In nature, such feathers are rare.
The Indonesian western parotia,
the greater racket-tailed drongo
from Southeast Asia, the marvellous
spatuletail native to the Andes, andthe Central American turquoisebrowed motmot are some of thesebeautiful species of birds.27, 28 As
Wun may have dyed the feathers
used in his collection, identification
becomes challenging. Regardless,the rarity of such shaped feathers
in nature and a lack of labellingis troubling, posing questions ofwildlife trades, illegal trading,biodiversity threats and harmto these birds themselves.
Perhaps more likely, the feathers
may also not be from wild birds at
all, but from the tails of roosters, or‘coques’ whose feathers are partly
stripped.29 This would also be acheaper option. In either instance,
there is a total lack of transparency
for consumers, and the conditions
birds are kept in and killed arelargely unknown.

When feathers are sold not only
by fashion brands but to fashion
brands without clear labelling,
it is impossible to know what
species is being exploited. Whilethe use of some wild feathers isillegal today, for example whenbird species are given protection
from international commercial
trade under the auspices of theConvention on International Tradein Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES), it does
not mean such birds are notexploited due to illegal trade orlegal loopholes at the national
and international level. Wherewild birds are nominally protectedfrom being exploited for feathers
under state or country laws,
mislabelling and misidentification
at the point of sale can hide theillegal or unethical use of feathers.

27

A similar compliance problem
is seen in the fur industry, where
fur from domestic cats and arange of both factory farmed
and free-ranging, wild fur-bearing
animal species have been found,mislabelled and unlabelled,
including as inexpensive ‘faux fur’,on the market across Australia andthe United Kingdom.30-32 Similarly,
it was reported in 2020 that
dozens of luxury fashion houses
including Chanel, Gucci andMichael Kors had over 5,600
products seized from them by theUnited States Fish and Wildlife
Service over a ten-year period,as they were made from illegally
traded reptile and other wild
animal skins.33 Illegal wildlife
trading is an ongoing global issue
plaguing the fashion industry, whichis also responsible for the majorityof the US’ total wildlife trade.34, 35© Robert Wun

Use in fashion:
These dotted and patternedfeathers are often used in millinery.

The trouble withunidentified feathers© Farm Transparency/Animal Liberation ACT

Habitat and behaviour:
These birds live in grasslands,
wetlands and other shrubby
habitats, where they reside yearround. Mother hens can spend
nearly three months with their
young before they leave.16

existent, with information about
birds being used for fashion
almost always inaccessibleor lacking specificity. Manypheasants are recreationally shotin their natural habitats, includingin North America, before having
their feathers plucked off.17© Gettyimages

Species: Pheasants

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

BIODIVERSITY,ZOONOTICDISEASEFEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR© PETA

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

AND SPECIES THREATS
Today, more than 1,300 of the over 11,000 bird species known to exist are under
threat of extinction, with further avian population reduction expected.1,2 This comes
as a result of the interwoven climate and biodiversity crises, caused by humanactivity and associated deforestation and land destruction. Commercial captive
breeding of birds, including for fashion, exacerbates these biodiversity concerns.3

28

As explored earlier, intensive
ostrich farming can cause severetransformation and degradation ofnatural vegetation as well as soil
compaction and erosion, declined
water quality, and overall loss of
biodiversity.4 Extensive grazing andbrowsing of farmed ostriches inthe Little Karoo – an internationallyrecognised biodiversity hotspot
in South Africa – has resulted insignificant impacts on ecosystemproductivity and biodiversity,
affecting more than 50% of
the region. 5,6‘Genetic pollution’ of free-ranging,wild ostrich populations, causedby the release or escape of
farmed populations, can leadto the erasure of geneticallydistinct populations. In Kenya,
for example, there are concernsthat the release of genetically‘contaminated’ farmed ostriches
could potentially threaten thegenetic integrity of free-roaming

populations, resulting in problems
such as reduced breeding successwhich could harm the species’
population. 7
Zoonotic diseases, those which
can be transmitted from otheranimals to humans, are a risk
associated with the rearing of
wildlife for profit. Common poor
conditions on ostrich farms andfeedlots such as limited space,poor hygiene, and close contact
with caretakers, can increase therisk of disease emergence andcreate opportunities for pathogentransmission between wild animals
and humans. Greater risk of
disease transmission between
captive wild animals to freeranging populations occurs too.8, 9
Avian influenza or ‘bird flu’ is amajor focus point worldwide as
it is a highly contagious disease
with potential zoonotic risk andhuge economic implications.10

Key ostrich-producing provincesof South Africa have experienced
several avian influenza (HPAI)
outbreaks over the past two
decades linked to poor animal
welfare and biosecurity practices,which are commonplace in
the industry.11
The South African government
considers avian influenza to bea key ‘threat and concern’ to theindustry.12 Ostriches infected withthe disease can suffer anorexia,
depression, and central nervous
system impacts, with previous
outbreaks having led to massculling of entire ostrich flocks onaffected farms.13 South African
production systems move birds
between a number of farms
during breeding, chick and adultrearing, with an aim to maximise
productivity and economic
efficiency. This system has beenshown to increase vulnerability
to disease outbreaks.14, 15

29

Avian influenza can havedevastating consequences forthe health of wild birds, as well
as some mammals, who exist in
their natural habitat.10 Wild birds,
including endangered species,
can be both the vector and victimof the disease. As a result, rearing
birds for fashion and food canbe potentially devastating forbiodiversity and species health.
A number of other disease risks
are associated with rearing birds
for their feathers and skins.

The highly transmissible Newcastle
disease is a major and lethal
infectious disease affecting awide range of farmed and wild
bird species including those
exploited for fashion such as
ducks, turkeys, ostriches, peacocks,
and waterfowls.16 Outbreaks of
Newcastle disease in farmed
ostriches have been reported
in many countries, and thedisease can cause sudden death,depression, anorexia, breathingdifficulties, muscular tremors, headswelling, and paralysis.16,17

Ostrich rearing also contributes
to the transmission of the zoonotic
disease Crimean Congohemorrhagic fever, which cancause mortality rates of up to 30%
in humans.18 Infections of workers
in ostrich slaughterhouses havepreviously been reported.18 Whilebiosecurity protocols can partiallymitigate the risk of zoonotic disease
emergence and transmission inthese production systems, detectionof pathogens in wildlife is limited
globally, and infected wildlife often
go undetected.19, 20

INNOVATINGBEYOND
FEATHERSIN FASHION

30

While feathers havelong been a popularmaterial in the fashionindustry becauseof their undeniableaesthetic qualities, there
is a rightfully growing
recognition of the steep
cruelty and environmental
costs of feather use forfashion is prompting
designers and brands
to reevaluate their use.
Feather-free innovation is far fromnew but rather is continuously
outdoing itself. At the beginningof the 20th century, spunglass, first developed in the
1830s, was positioned as analternative to feather decoration,
due to its similarly light andethereal qualities.1 In the sameera, American ornithologist,
naturalist, and painter Audubon
commissioned milliners to create‘Audubonnets’ decorated withribbons, artificial flowers and twistsof fabric to exist as an alternative
to feathered millinery.2 This cameas a direct response to activism
opposed to feather use, following
growing awareness of the harm
associated with feather collection.

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

Designers working with
innovative feather alternatives
Today, innovative digital renderingof man-made materials provides
new forms, derivative of feather
decoration. While synthetic manmade materials are environmentally
polluting if disposed of incorrectly
and not recycled as part ofa closed-loop system, it isnonetheless seen as a positive
early step towards developing
material forms that encompass a
total ethics approach by valuing
the life and wellbeing of birds while
minimising biodiversity impacts.
Dutch fashion designer Iris Van
Herpen has stated that she isinspired by nature but does
not like using materials fromnature because it is not her own
language.3, 4 Rather than taking
directly from nature, Van Herpen’s
focus in fashion is to develop her
own novel material forms usinga range of techniques which
man-made materials beyond theanimal allow. For example, asilicone representation of feathers
crafted into a dress by the designer
was exhibited in the ‘Plumasserie’(featherwork) section of ‘Manus
x Machina: Fashion in an ageof technology’ exhibition at theMetropolitan Museum of Art in2016.5 The choice of section todisplay the work would appear
to be due to the aesthetic similarityof feathers and the contemporary
take the company has on thecraftsmanship of feather work.
Fabrication techniques the designer
has applied include laser cutting
and 3D printing mixed withtraditional craftsmanship.
Other designers have exploredplant-derived materials
through embroidery andfabric manipulation techniques

to gain similar appeals tofeathers. Tammam is a British
couture designer label offering
womenswear and accessories
aiming to use sustainable materials
through fair-trade partnerships withartisans in India. Lucy Tammam,the designer behind Tammam,
explained that she has neverfelt the lack of feathers in her
collections but loves the ways
her label has emulated feather
shapes and designs to create
original embellishments.

“We’ve tried to emulatefeathers with embroidery– using traditional zardosi
and hand embroideryin various collections.
For our 2022 FLIGHT
collection birds werea strong reference –we used digital printing
and hand embroidery
to get feathered looks
and textures.”31– Lucy Tammam, Tammam6
Embroidery and textile designer
Nadia Albertini, who has
worked for a range of luxury
fashion houses, explained that analternative to feathers would need
to be a natural material and fulfil
an association with the ‘exotic’.7
She has imitated feathers using
frayed organza, placing it among
bird feathers to create volume
and reduce cost, in comparison
to using only feathers. Her
experience of the banning of fur
by fashion houses has resulted in
the increased use of feather-based
fabric manipulation.

© Iris van Herpen© Tammam

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FURFEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

32

Similarly to leather and fur
alternatives, where most designers
seek an organic material substitute,feather alternatives free ofsynthetic components are seen tobe superior. UK-based sustainablefashion designer Joshua James
Small finds the use of feathers
ethically complex so has not usedthem within his own practice. He
explained that most faux feathers
tend to be polyester-based andlack a “high quality aesthetic
you’d expect from a luxury good”.
Instead, he works with otherforms of fabric manipulation andembellishment using a wide rangeof media that does not include
animal feathers or skins.8
In cases where feathers are usedin place of fur, a move towards
recycled and bio-based, nextgen fur alternatives is a clear
step forward for many brands.
Today, materials like commerciallybiodegradable GACHA fur fromECOPEL far outperform not only
animal-derived fur but conventional
faux fur when considering
environmental impacts.9

The need for further innovationin feather alternatives
The formation of specific imitationfeathers is underdevelopedin comparison to the material
advancements made in leather
and fur alternatives. There is an
opportunity for material innovationin this area, alongside explorationof alternative forms of decorationthat similarly have a feeling oflightweight movement, one of
the most appealing featuresof feathers. Understanding theappeal, properties and uses offeathers in fashion is paramountto developing alternatives that will
be adopted by industry.
One milliner, who chose to share
their insights anonymously, has
worked with feathers for over 30
years. Their studio has previously
experimented with manipulatedbamboo which has some similar
properties to feathers. On theappeal of feathers for millineryand requirements for effective
alternatives, the milliner stated:“The appeal of feathersis their properties,
which is that they are
manipulatable. They havevolume and give shapeand form but don’t weighanything. Working withfeathers is like cutting
air. The flexible centralbone of the feather
supports the wholefeather as a material,
giving it direction. It’s avery complicated pieceof engineering that isnaturally slightly curved.
How the material
moves is one of themost important factors
along with needing tobe weightless, waterresistant, and strong.
Something that looks
like a feather or has
the feeling of a feather
is attractive but what
it really needs to haveis the same properties;
weightlessness, fluidity,
and a sense of movement
is what feathers are allabout. So it’s not aboutlooking like it, it’s about
behaving like it.”

Other creations of movement
and lightness in fashion madebeyond real feathers look towards
plant-based materials, such as
lightweight cotton and responsibly
sourced viscose organza. One
such example is Australian luxury
label Aje’s of raffia.10 Made fromsegments of the leaves of raffia
palms, bright orange raffia fibres
flow off the bottom of a knitted
midi dress from the label in asimilar use to ostrich feathers
by other brands.
Material Innovation Initiative’s
2021 report on the state of thenext-gen material industry foundthat of 74 companies developing
animal-free, sustainable materials,
just six were working on feather
alternatives. These six companies
were working on alternatives todown, with none exploring nextgen feathers for decoration.11

A transition beyond theuse of animal feathers infashion is not only deeply
important to the creation ofa totally ethical fashion systemthat values people, our fellow
animals and the planet alike, but
it also creates opportunity forinnovation and exploration ofmateriality. In an industry thatcelebrates uniqueness, designers
able to imagine the mystiqueand fantasy, as highlighted by
Lubormirski, through their own
invention and technical skill
are leaders.

33

With the next-gen material
market expected to be worth$2.2 billion USD per year by
2026, this market gap is an
opportunity for material scientists,
as well as brands seeking
to invest in alternatives early,
before they boom similarly tonext-gen leather.11© Aje

On one past occasion, Albertini
worked with a fashion house increating a coat using feathers
to imitate the look of a fur coat.
This resulted in using most of the
production from one bird farm,an estimated 45kg of feathers.
With this scale in mind, the useof feathers as an alternative to
fur is tied to a significant amountof animal suffering and potential
environmental impact, considering
how many birds’ feathers must
be used. 7

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FURFEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHER-FREE

POLICIES
Policies relating to thefeather trade exist atindustry, government
and multinational levels.
Considering government
policies first, the relevant
import requirements
for most countries
treat feathers as acommodity material anddo not consider welfare
standards associatedwith their sourcing.

© Iris van Herpen

34

For example, the UK guidelines
state that feather imports do not
require a health certificate relating
to where the birds’ feathers are
sourced from and what diseases
they may carry, and feathers are
permitted from any country oforigin and trading partner.1 As
well as diminishing the recognitionof feathers as coming fromanimals, these minimal guidelines
increase the risk associated withalready opaque feather supply
chains. Furthermore, current importrequirements are not in alignment
with wider proposed andupcoming transparency measuresin fashion such as the EU Digital
Product Passport which will
require data on all raw
material extraction.2
In terms of the global feather trade,
Convention on International Tradein Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES) permits
are required for feathers obtained
from some threatened species.

However, permit requirements
for wild animals farmed forcommercial gain are relaxed
as compared to those captured
from their natural habitat.3
A lack of broad, thorough andeffective multi-country government
regulation and restriction onfeather use only accentuates the
fashion industry’s responsibility
to voluntarily create their own
feather-free policies. Without thisshift, the industry will continue
to profit from cruelty to wildlife
and other birds.
Fortunately, there has been a risein brands and retailers banningthe use of feathers, such as
Australian brand Bardot’s ban onfeathers, following an investigation
by PETA in 2019.4 Global retailer
ASOS also banned all use offeathers (other than those fromducks and geese sourced throughthe Responsible Down Standard)
across their site in 2019, though as
noted, compliance with this policy
is an ongoing problem. 5
SMCP, the luxury group thatowns fashion brands Sandro,
Maje, Claudie Pierlot and De
Fursac, has committed to banning
all feathers by Autumn/Winter2023.7 Looking to the wider luxury
fashion industry, designer Diane
Von Furstenberg has pledged
not to use fur, exotic skins orfeathers, and vegetarian brand
Stella McCartney has neverused feathers in their collections
for ethical reasons, an exception

among luxury fashion.8, 9 Brands
including Burberry, Calvin Klein,
Chanel, JilSander, Prada, Tom
Ford, Victoria Beckham andVivienne Westwood have banned
fur and exotic animal skins inrecent years, but not feathers.10
These brands no longer use ostrichskins but still apply ostrich feathers
within their collections on the
misconception that ostrich feathers
can be obtained without harm to
the animal.

Currently Melbourne Fashion
Week (M/FW) is the only
global fashion week to haveprotected all wild birds, byprohibiting all wildlife-derived
materials, including feathers,
from its shows. This includes all
fur, skins and feathers from wild
animals, regardless of whether

The lack of commitment to stopusing feathers is fast becoming an
issue in the fashion industry since
many brands are also substituting
feathers in place of animal fur. For
example, while London Fashion
Week has been free from fur
for several years now, many
designers in the line up such as
David Koma, Dilara Findikoğlu
and Richard Quinnstill use a rangeof feather accents for decorative
purposes.11-13

Event

There is a pronounced lack offeather-free policies in comparison
to the voluntary banning of furand exotic skins. Despite thesepolicies aiming to protect wild
animals, they are inevitably failingto do so for wild birds exploitedfor their feathers. As a minimum
requirement, governments andinternational working groups
should work towards increasing
animal welfare standards andtraceability within the feather
industry while committing to invest
into next-gen materials to movetowards totally feather-free fashion.

Fur freepolicy?

those wild animals were captured
from their natural habitat or bred
into factory-farms. Collective
Fashion Justice and World Animal
Protection are pleased to haveengaged with M/FW to makethis possible, and urge otherevents to follow suit quickly.

Wild animalskin freepolicy?

Wildfeather freepolicy?

Amsterdam
Fashion Week







Copenhagen
Fashion Week







Helsinki
Fashion Week







LondonFashion Week







Melbourne
Fashion Week







Milan
Fashion Week







New York
Fashion Week







Paris
Fashion Week







Stockholm
Fashion Week







35

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

The fashion industry’s
historical relationshipwith birds is one of greed,
endangerment, anddestruction, referred to as‘murderous millinery’ ina Cambridge University
Press book.1 It is critical
we understand thishistory, which is bothdark and one whichshould inspire hope,innovation and progress
for the industry today.

36

CONCLUSION© Unsplash

AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Our cultural capacity for change
in the name of animal protectionand environmental conservation isa power we must harness today.
The global trade of feathers
belonging to ostriches, peacocks,
turkeys, and other birds for thesake of decoration is unjustifiable,
needless, and unimaginative.
While there is no beauty in
exploiting and slaughtering thesebirds within fashion, a fashionindustry full of creativity has amuch-needed opportunity to
explore modes of decoration thatare as beautiful in their production
as in their final form.
Collective Fashion Justiceand World Animal Protection
recommend that fashion brands,
retailers and event organisers
move swiftly to enact policies thatban the use of ‘exotic feathers’
to protect all wild birds from
exploitation and slaughter infashion supply chains. Thesefeathers should be replaced with
innovative, animal-free materials.
Brands that already have apolicy against exotic skins should
recognise the need for a policy
extension as a required next stepto protect wild animals who could
be harmed due to it being solely
skins based.
Collective Fashion Justice andWorld Animal Protection also
recommend a shift beyond theuse of all feathers for decorative
purposes, replacing these withentirely animal-free and moreinnovative materials.

As global governments begin to
enforce more stringent regulations
on the fashion industry, using aheavier legislative hand in theface of industry inaction andsluggish process, feather use
must also be acted on. Globalbans on fur production andsales, crackdowns on fashion’s
impact on the environment, andthose on it must be extended toprotect birds used for decorative
purposes. Policies related tofeathers of wild animal species
should at the very least include
production, import and salesbans, regardless of whether
these species are wild-captured
or farmed.
Without addressing the crueltyof feather use, as well as theassociated environmental andhuman impact involved, thefashion industry will be unable
to align with much-needed total
ethics values,2 or with the United
Nations endorsed premise of‘one health’,3 in which all life on
the planet and its well-being
are interconnected.
We have the capacity andcreativity to move fashion beyond
all cruelty to animals and theassociated environmental andhuman impact of this exploitation.
With this capacity comes the
responsibility to act upon it, all thewhile creating beautiful, carefully
made clothing.

37

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FURREFERENCES

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FURINTRODUCTIONFEATHERS IN FASHION

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FEATHER USE BY THE FASHION INDUSTRY: HISTORICAL USE
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Ostriches_in_Ancient_Egypt_
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4. Aboriginal Australia, emu
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6. Birds of a feather: plumed
headdresses from around theworld. [Internet]. Santa Ana:
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7. Traill-Nash G. How to wear
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9. A feather in your cap: inside
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Renaissance Europe. [Internet].
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in-circulation/2014/millinery

11. Morton C. Fashion A-Z.
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millinery
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worth twice their weight ingold. [Internet]. Melbourne:
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16. A hatful of horror: the Victorian
headwear craze that led
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FEATHER USE BY THE FASHION INDUSTRY: CONTEMPORARY USE
1. Delhi customs seizes 21
lakh peacock tail feathers
being smuggled to China.
[Internet]. Noida (IN):Business Today; 2021 [cited
2023]. Available from:https://www.businesstoday.
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The last plumassier.
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Contemporary use of feathers, reference 11:
Boohoo feather products

8. Valentino, fall 2023 readyto-wear (look 3, 12, 54).
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11. See images below.

41

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS IN FASHION
PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF FEATHERS IN FASHION
1. Hakansson E. Consumers
oppose feather cruelty, butthey’re being misled byfashion brands. [Internet].
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2. See images below.
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ASOS:
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Public perception of feathers in fashion, reference 2: examples of mislabelling
ASOS:

Cettire:The Iconic:

42

43

SSENSE:FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS IN FASHION
Public perception of feathers in fashion, reference 2: examples of mislabelling

Harrods:

Boohoo:Revolve:

Nordstrom:

44

Google search for ‘faux fur’ showing numerous feather products, including those which are
mislabelled themselves.

45

Net-A-Porter:

Selfridges:

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUROSTRICH FEATHERS: AS DEADLY AS FUR
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FEATHERS ARE THE NEW FUR

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1. Cowie H L. Victims of fashion(chapter 2: Murderous
millinery). Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press;
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2. Hakansson E. Total ethics
fashion. Melbourne: Hardie
Grant Media. 2023.

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World Animal Protection Australia
GPO Box 3294 Sydney NSW 2001
T: 1300 139 772
E: info@worldanimalprotection.org.au
worldanimalprotection.org.au© Iris van Herpen

Collective Fashion Justice
E: info@collectivefashionjustice.org
collectivefashionjustice.org