Julie Bishop has ruffled feathers with PETA.
The former foreign minister, 67, attended the first day of Australian Fashion Week on Monday wearing a $2,000 black cocktail dress by Rachel Gilbert with ostrich feather trim on the sleeves.
The animal rights organization criticized the 67-year-old in a scathing letter about her outfit.
In the note, they told Bishop that “feathers are as cruel as fur, a fact that led to Melbourne Fashion Week banning wild bird feathers from its catwalks.”
“It’s great that you stand for Australian fashion, but feathers are a faux pas,” PETA added.
Julie Bishop is in a feud with PETA after wearing a $2,000 black Rachel Gilbert cocktail dress to Australian Fashion Week on Monday
In a letter addressed to Bishop, the organization stated that “feathers are as cruel as fur, a fact that led Melbourne Fashion Week to ban wild bird feathers from its catwalks.”
They then delved into PETA’s recent investigations into ostrich farms.
“Ostriches do not molt, so their feathers are plucked out while they are still alive or removed after slaughter,” they explained.
PETA then proposed an alternative to Bishop.
They then delved into PETA’s recent investigations into ostrich farms. “Ostriches do not molt, so their feathers are plucked out while they are still alive or removed after slaughter,” they said.
“As the always beautiful Pamela Anderson proved on the Met Gala red carpet, natural pampas grass is a glamorous upgrade from the feathers of cruelly slaughtered birds,” the letter read, referring to the headpiece Anderson wore to this year’s fashion event in New York City. .
“We urge you, as a leader and role model, to only showcase sustainable, cruelty-free brands and look forward to seeing you showcase vegan looks in the future,” the letter concludes.
There have been recent moves away from decorative feathers in the fashion industry.
Online fashion platforms such as The Iconic and ASOS have committed to a ban.
Australian label Zhivago, a favorite of celebrities like Gwen Stefani and Cardi B, is completely cruelty-free and carries the ‘PETA-Approved Vegan’ logo.
PETA – whose motto reads in part that “animals are not ours to bear” – opposes “speciesism,” a worldview of “human supremacism.”
The animal rights organization then proposed an alternative to Bishop: “As the ever-beautiful Pamela Anderson proved on the Met Gala red carpet, natural pampas grass is a glamorous upgrade from the feathers of cruelly slaughtered birds.”
“We urge you, as a leader and role model, to only showcase sustainable, cruelty-free brands and look forward to seeing you showcase vegan looks in the future,” the letter concludes. Pictured: the letter PETA sent to Julie Bishop