The likes of Jennifer Lopez and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour witnessed the spectacle when an anti-leather protest erupted Thursday night during the Coach show.
Two female PETA supporters brazenly stormed the catwalk – one of them wearing grizzly body paint that gave the illusion of a “skinned” body.
“Coach: Leather Kills” was scrawled in paint across her bare chest as she walked confidently down the catwalk before being escorted out by security.
The other animal activist, a blond woman in a mauve outfit with a bare midriff, held a sign with the same phrase and the PETA logo.
Coach has specialized in high-quality leather goods – from handbags to shoes – since its founding in 1941 in Manhattan, New York.
The protesters’ goal was to condemn the luxury brand “for its cruelty to cows and its reliance on environmentally destructive leather products.”
Protest: An anti-leather protest broke out Thursday night at the Coach show in New York City
The likes of Jennifer Lopez and Anna Wintour sat in the front row at the fashion show when the spectacle took place
“Today’s conscientious consumers know that the future of fashion lies in innovative vegan materials, not cow hides,” PETA’s Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said so a statement.
“PETA is shaking up the Coach catwalk to get the message across that leather belongs in the annals of history, not in designers’ current collections.”
In a subsequent press release, PETA claimed that “Cows killed for leather can be skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious – after being castrated, tail docked and dehorned on farms, without any painkillers.”
“A PETA exposé from the world’s largest leather processor — which Coach supplied — showed workers branding calves in the face, beating cows and bulls, and shocking them with electric prods.”
The Coach show is one of many taking place during New York Fashion Week, which kicked off Thursday and runs through Wednesday, September 13.
Coach debuted their highly anticipated Spring 2024 ready-to-wear collection to a sea of celebrity guests.
Jennifer Lopez was one of the first A-listers to arrive at the event venue in the Big Apple.
The multi-hyphen, 54, has been a global ambassador for the luxury brand since 2019 and recently spearheaded their Spring Summer 2023 campaign and a Mother’s Day special campaign.
For the occasion, the star of Hustlers looked phenomenal wearing a $395 silver shoulder bag from the Coach Shine collection in her manicured clutches.
Lopez flaunted her stuff in sexy knee-high snakeskin boots and layered with an oversized fringed suede jacket.
She looked excited to see the new Spring Summer 2024 collection in person from her VIP seat
‘Skinned’: Two female PETA supporters brazenly stormed the catwalk – one of whom wore a grizzly body paint that gave the illusion of a ‘skinned’ body
“Coach: Leather Kills” was scrawled in paint on her bare chest as she confidently walked down the catwalk before being escorted out by security
Conviction: The goal of the protesters was to condemn the luxury brand “for its cruelty to cows and its reliance on environmentally destructive leather products”
Lopez’s honey-colored hair was pulled up in a messy bun and she wore a pair of chic $450 Fendi sunglasses.
Her cheeks had a vibrant peach blush and she rocked her signature glossy nude lip.
She sat in the front row with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful.
The mother-of-two was photographed leaving the event and getting into the back of a chauffeur-driven black SUV.
Through her Instagram story, Lopez gave her fans a glimpse into her designer outfit.
The show attracted a slew of A-listers, including Riverdale actress Camila Mendes and Outer Banks hunk Chase Stokes.
Mendes, 29, went for leather by going topless under a black cropped jacket and low-cut skirt.
The awesome combo showed off her flat midriff as she posed for photographers ahead of the runway show.
The Do Revenge star modeled pointy-toe loafers and wore her brunette hair in an effortless updo.
Stokes – who is in a relationship with country singer Kelsea Ballerini – looked muscular in a white tank top styled with unique flared pants and distressed sneakers.
Lil Nas X and Dove Cameron were also spotted mingling with fashion enthusiasts before taking their seats for the show.
New York Fashion Week started Thursday and runs through Wednesday, September 13.
The new Coach collection includes a “capsule of adorable kiss print bags” and “some very limited (Re)Loved bags inspired by the show.”
Lopez replaced longtime brand ambassador Selena Gomez in 2019 following the Disney Channel alum’s three-year contract.
In a statement at the time, the Selena star said she was “so excited” to be working with Coach.
“It’s a timeless brand that I’ve always loved and the upcoming collection really speaks to my personal style – a mix of uptown and downtown,” she says.
Coach’s creative director Stuart Vevers, who has held the position since 2013, said Lopez “really embodies the Coach attitude” because of her authenticity and power.
He recalled Lopez wearing one of “the Coach Signature bags in her 2002 “All I Have” video and how her “connection” to New York only made the collaboration more fitting.
On a personal level, Lopez recently moved into a $60 million mansion in Beverly Hills with her new husband Ben Affleck, 51.
Wow! Jennifer Lopez, 54, dropped jaws on Thursday when she joined the stars at the Coach show at New York Fashion Week
She sat in the front row with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful
Phenomenal: For the occasion, the star of Hustlers looked phenomenal wearing a $395 silver shoulder bag from the Coach Shine collection in her manicured clutches
Sexy in suede: She wore an oversized suede jacket with fringes
Shady: She wore a pair of $450 chic Fendi sunglasses
Hell for leather: Camila Mendes, 29, went for leather by going topless under a black cropped jacket and low-cut skirt
Like JLo, Camila grabbed a front row seat with comedian Benito Skinner and Outer Banks hunk Chase Stokes
Hunk: Chase Stokes – who is in a relationship with country singer Kelsea Ballerini – looked muscular in a white tank top styled with unique flared pants and distressed sneakers
Camila and Chase had to catch up before the show started
Queen: Anna Wintour looked radiant in a floral dress and her signature sunglasses
Music superstars Dove Cameron and Lil Nas X were also in attendance
Edgy: Dove Cameron leaned into her edgy style by rocking a black biker jacket
Tina Leung, Benny Drama, Camila Mendes and Chase Stokes are in the front row
She and the Argo star rekindled their romance in May 2021, after seventeen years apart and two failed marriages between them.
Affleck and Lopez were engaged the following April and married in July 2022 before hosting a lavish wedding in Georgia in August.
Along with her twins Max and Emme, 14, Lopez also plays the stepmother to Affleck’s three children: Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11, whom he shares with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
Lopez shares Max and Emme with her ex-husband Marc Anthony.