PETA Responds To Karl Lagerfeld Death With ‘Gobsmacking’ Tribute To ‘Old Nemesis’

PETA has criticised Lagerfeld in the past for using fur in his fashion lines at Fendi and Chanel, pushing the designer to defend his position in interviews.

“It’s very easy to say no fur, no fur, no fur, but it’s an industry,” he told the New York Times in 2015.

But in December 2018 Lagerfeld agreed to pull all fur and exotic skins – including crocodile, lizard, snake and stingray – from Chanel.

A spokesperson at the time said the brand wanted to maintain ethical standards, following extensive pressure from campaigning groups. “We did it because it’s in the air, but it’s not an air people imposed to us,” said Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel fashion and president of Chanel SAS. 

Commenters responded to Hughes’ tweet, saying they thought PETA was disrespectful in the timing of its “condolences” and that such statements actively put people off wanting to be vegetarian or support animal rights.