New York Fashion Week will face a protest at Rockefeller Centre on Thursday, 10 September as PETA supporters raise allegations of cruelty in the wool industry.
Protesters dressed as bruised and bloodied sheep will gather at 600 Fifth Ave at noon, carrying lifelike dead lamb replicas and signs that read 'Wool Kills'.
The demonstration follows a recent PETA Asia investigation at a NATIVA-certified wool farm, which is part of a programme promoting responsible wool production.
PETA alleges the investigation found workers kicking and hitting sheep, dragging lambs by their legs, and injuring animals during shearing. The group also claims a worker forced a ram's head to the floor with a knee, and that other sheep suffered cuts and bleeding wounds.
The group urges consumers and fashion businesses to reject wool in favour of vegan alternatives.
'People who understand animal rights realise that animals are not things, they are someone's; that they are their own individual selves, not ours to use for food, clothing, entertainment, experimentation, or any other purpose,' PETA said.
'Animals deserve consideration and what is in their best interests, regardless of whether they are cute, useful to humans, or belong to an endangered species, and regardless of whether any human cares about them at all.'
The Latest Protests
PETA previously brought its wool campaign to New York Fashion Week in February 2023, when a performer dressed as a sheep outside Spring Studios, encouraging designers and consumers to stop using wool.
The costume featured a faux-wool jumpsuit and a life-size sheep head, inspired by Schiaparelli's animal-head designs from its Spring-Summer 2023 couture show in Paris.
The organisation stated the stunt aimed to draw attention to its investigations into wool production, which documented workers beating, kicking, stomping on, mutilating, and throwing sheep.
PETA has also targeted individual retailers, including H&M, as part of its broader campaign against animal abuse and the use of wool in fashion.
In May, protesters assembled outside H&M's London flagship following an investigation into a South African wool supplier connected to the brand's supply chain.
On 27 August, PETA sent H&M Group president and CEO Daniel Ervér a bloodied stuffed sheep named Lily, along with a letter challenging the company's continued sale of wool.
The letter states that Lily symbolises the suffering of sheep. It also warns that supposedly responsible wool certifications fail to prevent abuse and urges H&M to stop selling wool.
PETA stated that Lily was the first step in a campaign to deliver similar sheep replicas to H&M stores throughout the US. Protests continued at H&M stores in Stockholm on 10 August, Boston on 16 August and Mexico City on 2 September.
PETA's Growing Campaign
PETA has since expanded its campaign, reporting that its affiliates have released 17 exposés covering more than 150 wool operations in seven countries. Its campaigns led to major legal and regulatory actions, including New Zealand's 2018 ban on mulesing and Scotland's first animal cruelty case against a wool-industry worker.
The group states that cruelty can occur even in operations considered ethical or responsible and urges an end to the use of animals in fashion.
