ASOS bans the sale of mohair, silk, cashmere, and feathers
ASOS is set to ban the sale of all mohair, silk, cashmere, and feather products across its site.
Thats a pretty big deal, considering ASOS carries more than 850 labels in addition to its own-brand stuff.
The brand had already announced they would stop selling mohair, the hair of angora goat, following the release of a video from PETA that explored the mohair industry in South Africa. Now theyve stated that theyll also ban the sale of cashmere, silk, and feathers by the end of January 2019.
If you search mohair and silk on ASOS right now, youll notice that the majority of products are heavily discounted – so the brand is well on their way to clearing out these fabrics.
While well easily refuse fur, many of us arent aware of the ethical implications of mohair, cashmere, silk, and down products.
Mohair, the hair of those fluffy angora goats, is collected through shearing, but a report from PETA revealed that many shearers work carelessly and quickly as theyre paid by the volume of hair they can collect rather than by the hour. Goats were found to be left with severe injuries due to this practice. PETA also discovered that angora goats reared for the industry went through the extreme pain of having their sensitive ears branded.
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Cashmere goats need their coats to protect them from the cold in China and Mongolia. But because of high demand, many are sheared in the winter – leaving the goats to freeze to death.
Down products are often a byproduct of the meat and foie gras industries. PETA revealed video evidence of birds being pinned to the ground by workers who yank fistfuls of feathers out of the birds skin, causing extreme pain.
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Silk is produced by silkworms when they form cocoons. In the production of silk fabric, silkworms are boiled or gassed alive. PETA reports that approximately 6,600 silkworms die to make one kilogram of silk.
PETA applauds ASOS for leading the charge for compassion in fashion, said PETA Director of Corporate Projects Yvonne Taylor.
In response to PETAs campaigns, consumers are changing the face of the industry by demanding that designers and retailers ditch animal-derived materials in favour of cruelty-free alternatives that look great without causing suffering.
More than 100 major brands including Topshop, H&M, Marks & Spencer, and Zara, have already banned the sale of mohair. Lets see if they follow in ASOSs footsteps and ditch other ethically problematic materials too.
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