“It’s a thrill to be a presenter rather than a protestor at a CFDA event today,” joked Dan Mathews, Vice President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), at CFDA’s Fashion Education Summit Monday.
The longtime employee of the animal rights organization has spearheaded many memorable campaigns – who can forget “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur?”
Throughout his PETA tenure, Mathews has used a variety of shock tactics, including graphic imagery of animal cruelty in factories around the world for the attention of fashion houses and consumers alike. Now, he is using his platform to educate his audience on sustainable alternatives.
Behind the scenes, PETA has been working on solutions to better the fashion industry’s problem. As Mathews noted, “highlighting the cruelty is only half the battle.”
During his talk, he brought along a range of various animal-friendly fabrics: mock crocodile, fake snake, faux mohair, silk made from bamboo, and mushroom leather manufactured from grapes were just a few of the samples he cited as alternatives for designers to use that sacrifice neither quality or the bottom line.
This sample collection of the latest vegan materials is exactly what Mathews uses when meeting with new fashion houses to persuade designers to make the shift towards sustainable textiles.
Case in point, menswear designer Stephen F, who collaborated on an all-vegan, eco-friendly collection with the organization during New York Fashion Week: Men’s. The designer crafted men’s suiting using wonderfelt, a material made from recycled plastic bottles that are a strong alternative to wool.
Mathews stated many designers are now all ears when it comes to animal free fabrics, motivated because “they know their customers, especially the younger ones, are aware of these problems and they want to be a part of the solutions.”
Mathews concluded the presentation with a call-to-action from the industry – to educate the next generation of designers on sustainable fabrics and push this knowledge forward into the industry.
The 2019 CFDA Fashion Education Summit was made possible by underwriters Dia & Co and Reebok with additional support from Adrian Cheng/K11 and The Standard.
