Peta’s “rather go naked than wear fur” campaigns are iconic political statements, switching out the animal rights group’s usual disruptive protests for glamorous shots featuring stars from across fashion, music, and film, condemning the use of the material. After three decades though, the campaign is being retired by Peta (and it’s actually a cause for celebration).
“Nearly every top designer has shed fur, California has banned it, Queen Elizabeth II has renounced it, Macy's is closing its fur salons, and now, the largest fur auction house in North America has filed for bankruptcy,” says Dan Mathews, Peta’s Senior Vice President, in a victorious statement.
And it’s true: designers including John Galliano, Tom Ford, Versace, Gucci, Burberry, and Coach went fur free in the last few years. London Fashion Week has too, and the whole state of California will ban the sale of fur beginning in 2023.
Of course, that isn’t to say that ethical fashion is a fully realised dream for Peta just yet: “With fur in a downward spiral, Peta will expand our efforts to expose the violent leather and wool trades,” Mathews adds.
Though the new wave band the Go-Go’s were the first to feature in the campaign, in 1990, they were soon followed by the supermodels Christy Turlington and Marcus Schenkenberg.
Pamela Anderson, Gillian Anderson, and many others have also featured, with Sheryl Lee putting a Twin Peaks spin on the ads in the late 90s. View a selection of the old ads in the gallery above.