Fur flies over Sydney fashion festival

Animal rights activists have targeted the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Sydney over its refusal to ban fur.

In a protest last Wednesday, three female members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) stripped to their underwear ahead of the festival’s launch at Town Hall, holding a strategically placed banner across their breasts.

“Compassion is always in fashion – go fur-free,” said a slogan on the banner, while the trio told lunchtime crowds that unlike the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, the equivalent event in Sydney refused to ban fur.

“By showing some of my skin, I hope to save animals’ skin,” said one of the protestors, Zoe Crawford.

But organisers of this year’s festival, IMG Fashion, said no fur was actually used in this year’s collections. However, a spokesperson said the festival would not ban fur and did not rule out its use in future.

“Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Sydney has no official policy regarding fur,” said the spokesperson.

“As a business, we do not dictate to the designers regarding the content of their collections.”

Animal Liberation NSW CEO Lynda Stoner praised the designers involved in this year’s festival.

“Congratulations to all designers for choosing to not include fur in their creations,” said Ms Stoner.

“How commendable that they are running a prestigious event without the use of fur.”

But Ms Stoner said she would still like to see fur banned at the event, pointing out that fur production involved the slaughter of animals, who were often skinned alive.

“Fashion ceases to be a celebratory event when the cost is brutality to animals or humans,” she said.

The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival is part of the wider ‘Sydney is Fashion’ initiative, which concludes on September 7.