Facing pressure from the animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Ralph Lauren has agreed to stop using mohair in its products, according to the New York Post.
PETA released a report earlier this year that revealed that farm workers were abusing, mutilating, and killing the angora goats whose wool is later used in sweaters and hats, among other products. Mohair originates mostly from South Africa and the U.S., specifically in Texas. According to the report, workers dehorn the goats by burning their horns off. They have also been seen dragging and throwing the animals.
The animal rights group has successfully persuaded clothing companies such as H&M, Zara, Gap, and Topshop to stop selling mohair products by 2020, taking a stand against the cruel practices. Ralph Lauren is the latest designer to drop mohair, joining more than 270 brands and retailers who have also agreed to stop using mohair.
“PETA’s exposé pulled back the curtain on the violent mohair industry, and Ralph Lauren responded by banning the cruelly produced material,” said PETA’s director of Corporate Affairs Anne Brainard, in a statement from the organization. “Ralph Lauren has joined the growing list of fashion brands that recognize that today’s shoppers don’t support cruelty to animals in the fashion industry.”
Ralph Lauren commented on the matter in a statement of its own. “Because a credible animal welfare standard for sourcing mohair does not currently exist, we will not include it in our product pipeline going forward,” a spokesperson said, according to the Post.
