Peta urges menswear designers to not pull 'the Wool' over their Eyes

Friday, January 9, marks the start of men's fashion in London, known as London Collections: Men and the final of the début International Woolmark prize for menswear. Five menswear finalists will be showing their final Merino wool collections to a jury panel and stand the chance to win a 100,000 Australian dollar sponsorship.

However, one thing that the men's fashion week and Woolmark Company will not showcase, is the dark side behind the use of this natural material and the animal cruelty that goes hand in hand with wool production.

In order to ensure that the participating menswear designers and the general public "don't pull the wool" over their eyes, animal welfare and rights group Peta has sent three male vegan models to the Somerset House - the site of the Woolmark's final - to protest the wool industry's cruelty towards sheep. Last year saw Peta launch its investigation of over 30 shearing sheds in the US and Australia, the latter which produces over 90 percent of the world's merino wool supply, which uncovered the ongoing rampant animal abuse.

"There's nothing 'manly' about the cowardly shearers who were filmed punching sensitive sheep, slamming them into the floor, stamping on their heads and even killing them for their wool", commented Peta Director Mimi Bekhechi. "Peta is calling on all kind people to leave wool on the rack and instead opt for technologically advanced and cruelty-free options such as rayon, woven metal and soya silk."

Peta adds that treatment of sheep within the UK is very different. Wool producers are said to subject young lambs to painful procedures, such as tail docking or castration, without any painkillers. Within the wool industry, it is considered normal for at least 4 percent of young lambs to die each spring, mostly due to poor nutrition, lameness and neglect, according to the animal welfare group who continue to raise awareness for the benefits of animals within the industry.