The animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has been disrupting fashion shows in both London and New York over the treatment of sheep in wool supply chains around the world. But there seems to be a perplexing grey area in the space between animal welfare and fashion, where the tension is mostly ignored. So let's explore the uncomfortable.
Speaking personally, I am grateful to PETA for bringing these issues, which are horrific, to the forefront of fashion. The group write on their website that an "investigation of over 30 shearing sheds in the U.S. and Australia uncovered rampant abuse", spanning the punching and kicking of sheep, cutting of skin and more. It goes without saying that animals should be treated with respect and kindness, and it is so upsetting to hear that these practices exist around the world, particularly in the wool industry, one in which I am so embedded.
As with all outputs in farming, not all wool is created equal, in all aspects, from quality to welfare. Here in Britain, we have centuries of sheep farming history, which has continued to the present day because much of our island is too hilly for farm machinery, making livestock farming the only possible option.
The practices of sheep farming are as old and embedded as the drystone walls that intersect the land. The sheep graze the upland dales and fells in the summer, and those hardy and wild enough stay out all winter. Those with a softer disposition, such as our Bluefaced Leicester, are brought into barns with straw and supplementary feed over the colder months. Industrial farming simply doesn’t exist in Britain for sheep.
Add to this that all farmed animals (along with wild animals and pets) are protected by law in Britain by the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which doesn’t just protect animals from harm, including mulesing, but also allows them the Five Freedoms of Life: freedom from hunger and thirst, from discomfort, from pain, to express normal behaviour, and from fear and distress.
In the case of sheep, this is reinforced by the wool sourcing infrastructure itself, which knows farmers, visits farms and is deeply embedded in the communities around them. There are layers and layers of connectivity which make it very hard for a farmer abusing animals to slip through the net. Through my experience working with many sheep farmers in the North of England, I've first-hand seen the care and attention that accompanies the hard work of animal husbandry.
Last year, I took Vogue Business to one of our Yorkshire farms for their piece Inside the Movement to connect Fashion to its Farms, and when we arrived the Bluefaced Leicester ewes were lambing. It was an icy cold day. They were in warm barns with lots of clean straw and Classic FM on the radio. They all had their own pens and were calmly watching us delight in the wonder of birth and new baby lambs happening all around us. They clearly knew and trusted John and Clare, their farmers, were obviously very well treated, and the farmers are very fond of them indeed. Really, they are like the children that never leave home! The farmers can trace their parentage often to great-grandparents and show them off with enormous pride.
None of my experience of the wool industry comes close to justifying the simple ‘anti-wool’ slogan. But what PETA's protests at fashion week will hopefully achieve is a more thorough approach to supply chain management and increased transparency.
So, how do we, as consumers, shop for wool more responsibly? First, look to British wool. If it doesn’t say it’s British or it says ‘British-spun’ it’s safe to assume it’s not. At my label, HERD, we use only pedigree British Bluefaced Leicester, the finest of the national clip, though other native breeds are available. You will also find certifications such as the Responsible Wool Standard or the Responsible Cashmere Standard, which are the best in class for wool supply chain integrity.
But should wool be removed from fashion? I think that's the wrong direction. Wool is shorn annually for the health of the sheep, so it's a naturally renewing resource, one that keeps us warm and dry and is gentle on our skin and the planet’s natural rhythms. It could be the solution, not the problem, to many of fashion’s impacts if kindness and responsibility is upheld by all.
