French fashion group SMCP, which owns brands Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and De Fursac, is to ban items made with down and feathers.
The group has committed, through its four brands, to having completely eliminated duck and goose feathers by the autumn/winter 2023 season, a spokesman said.
Animal welfare organisation PETA first revealed that SMCP had confirmed the decision – which comes on top of an earlier commitments to ban fur and exotic skins – in an email.
SMCP has been working on shifting to alternative materials that would allow it to replace feathers and down in the products of all of its brands for several seasons.
PETA corporate projects director Yvonne Taylor commented: “SMCP’s compassionate decision is great news for the birds who will be spared the agony of live plucking and a violent death at the slaughterhouse.
“We celebrate this move and call on other brands to follow suit and cut ties with the abusive and cruel down industry.”
Last November, PETA claimed to have evidence of live ducks having their throats slit and feet cut off to produce down under the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) for leading brands.
It points to vegan alternatives to down – made from natural and recycled materials – which it claims retain their insulating properties even when damp and are now widely available.
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