Animal rights group PETA has launched a graphic bloody new film that urges consumers to open their eyes to the cruelty of the leather industry.
The video, which the group also shared directly with designer Victoria Beckham following their disruption of her Paris Fashion Week show, depicts a blindfolded woman celebrating her birthday by repeatedly striking a cow-shaped piñata with a baseball bat.
As the intensity of the blows increase, the cow’s head becomes bloody and finally cracks open, sending a slew of intestines and blood-soaked leather accessories, such as shoes and bags, cascading to the floor. On-screen text over the clearly disgusted protagonist reads: “Don’t be part of the blood bath. Wear vegan.”
The spot was created by global integrated marketing agency Samy Alliance with creative direction from Santiago Lucero. It was directed by M&M (Martin Jalfen and Mike Usandivaras) and produced by Roma Productions.
PETA vice president Mimi Bekhechi said: “Leather is just hairless fur, and people need to wake up to the fact that this is an industry defined by animal suffering. We urge everyone to choose sustainable vegan materials that leave animals in peace.”
The organisation claims that over 1 billion animals are killed globally every year for leather. In India, cows’ tails are routinely broken, and irritants like tobacco and chillis are rubbed in their eyes to force them to trek up to 60 miles to the slaughterhouse. In China, dogs and cats are also killed for their skin, which is often mislabelled and sold to unsuspecting buyers.
With consumer demand for animal- and planet-friendly materials on the rise, PETA maintains that more and more designers are moving away from animal skins and opting to use plant leathers made from cacti, mushrooms, and fruits.
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