Faux: An Overview of Animal Exploitation in the Fashion Industry

• Main Author: Moralde, Karol Christian S.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Animal Exploitation; Generation Z; Fashion Industry; Marxism; Sustainability; Arts and Humanities; Fashion Design
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2022/arts_daa/4; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1104&context=conf_shsrescon
• Institution: De La Salle University

The use of animals in clothing is a practice that has always been part of human civilization. Although originally used as a way to warm and clothe bodies, animal products, such as fur, leather, and feather, have transcended their original practical purposes and have become both a status symbol and an integral aesthetic code in fashion. The prominent use of animal products in fashion has not only led to the violation of animal rights but has also directly contributed to the damage to our environments and the well-being of workers. Under a capitalistic system, the commodification of animals, the environment, and workers in the fashion industry no longer serve any other purpose but to generate profit and to satisfy the vanity of the bourgeoisie. With this study and its artwork, the researcher aims to find out how fashion design, a medium that is rarely used to address animal rights issues, can narrate the issue of animal cruelty to a Filipino Gen Z audience, a demographic known for its heightened interest in fashion. The artwork will be comprised of three looks, each illustrating different forms of animal cruelty in fashion (fur, leather, and feather). A pre-test and post-test interview showed that a fashion collection was able to influence the stances and perceptions of the Filipino Gen Z audience on the issue of animal cruelty.