Shirley shames fur trade fashionistas
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SCOTTISH rock star Shirley Manson is leading a counter-attack against fur-wearing celebrities by posing in a shocking poster with the skinned carcass of a fox.

Clad in a stunning Stella McCartney evening gown, Manson holds up the skinned animal beside the provocative caption: "Here is the rest of your fur coat".

Wearing fur has once again become irresistible to a growing number of Britain's style icons including Naomi Campbell and UK-based Madonna.

But this week former Garbage singer Manson will retaliate by appearing in the hard-hitting adverts as the new face of the latest campaign by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).

Shot in Los Angeles by top photographer Frank W Ockenfels, the image is intended to display the bloody reality behind glamorous fur ads and fashion spreads. The poster campaign will start in Edinburgh, Manson's home town, before rolling out to cities across Europe during 2007.

Manson, who is based in Los Angeles and currently recording her first solo album, said: "I believe very strongly in the ethical treatment of animals. A lot of my fans are very pro-animal rights and have often, when I have been wearing fake fur, said: 'Is that real?' and really gotten upset, and I have had to reassure them: 'No it's cool, it's fake, don't worry.'"

She added: "They have made me very conscious of it, and I am really grateful that they have made me pay attention."

In the past year, an increasing number of celebrities have unapologetically donned fur. Madonna wore a £35,000 coat made from the skins of 40 chinchillas in December. Naomi Campbell - who once posed for an anti-fur ad for Peta - followed in February flaunting a fur-trimmed parka on the catwalk. This month Kate Moss joined pro-fur stars wearing a 12-fox fur coat. Hollywood actress Sharon Stone has also been seen in fur.

Anita Singh of Peta said: "Shirley Manson feels very strongly about the fur industry. She wants to use her influence to tell people across the world that life on fur farms is hell.

"Millions of animals are beaten and battered on fur farms every year. We have videos of animals dying for their skin after being strangled or brutally smashed in the head. Many of them wake up while being skinned alive. The cruelty is the same, whether it's minx, fox, rabbit or bear."

Singh added: "More and more designers and celebrities are acknowledging the fact that it is cruel to wear fur and that fashion should be fun, not grisly. Because of the stigma attached to wearing fur, and widespread awareness about this cruel trade, most people are now ashamed of wearing fur."

Mary McGowne, founder of the Scottish Fashion Awards, said: "There has been an increasing and alarming trend over the past few seasons to use fur again by some designers.

"It's worrying that influential celebrities like Madonna now endorse fur as a fashion commodity. Such endorsement penetrates the public.

"It's so important that other celebrities, like Manson, support Peta's campaign. If people knew the process involved in producing a fur garment, I'm sure they would vomit."

Twenty years ago, fur-wearing women were splattered by paint in the street as widespread public awareness about the trade prompted protests against the pro-fur minority.

But in recent times Elizabeth Jagger has been spotted in a jacket with fox fur detail, Sophie Dahl has been photographed in a white mink coat with a fox fur collar, and actress Melanie Griffith has been sighted in a jacket trimmed with fox and rabbit fur.

Members of the general public are following suit. Recent figures show that British fur sales have increased by a third in two years to £500m and worldwide by some 25%. Now Harrods is selling fur again, along with high-street shop Joseph.

Frank Zilberkweit, a director of the British Fur Trade Association and owner of the long-established London furrier Hockley, said: "You just need to look at this year's London Fashion Week. Everyone is using it. It's popularity is not confined to London. Go to New York, Milan or Paris and you'll see top names using fur. Around 400 designers worldwide used fur in their latest collection.

"Peta is employing a cheap stunt by using a fox carcass. It's a cowardly and shameful attempt to try to condemn a real industry that provides employment while regulating standards in animal welfare."

Anti-fur celebrities include Pamela Anderson, Victoria Beckham and Jordan, all of whom have said they would rather go naked than wear fur. This month, former Baywatch actress and glamour girl Anderson sent fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger flowers after he vowed to go fur-free.

Several high-street fashion retailers have also made the fur-free promise. Top Shop, Harvey Nichols, Oasis and Monsoon have strict no-fur policies. Meanwhile, leading designers such as Calvin Klein and McCartney have banned fur.

Shirley Manson’s ‘Fur Is Garbage’ Giveaway
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Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with a number of super-strong, no-nonsense women, and we’re thrilled to add Shirley Manson to that list. The feisty and fiercely sexy Garbage frontwoman agreed to step in front of the camera to show you what the fashion industry doesn’t want you to see: the bloody, lifeless bodies of its latest victims. Holding a skinned “fox,” Shirley tells fur-wearers, “Here’s the rest of your fur coat,” in peta2’s latest anti-fur public service announcement (PSA).

What prompted you to decide to do this PSA for PETA? Was there a particular incident that made you become anti-fur, or were you always anti-fur?
No, I haven’t always been anti-fur per se, in that I haven’t necessarily formulated my own beliefs, but as I have gotten older, I feel like I’ve become more political, I feel like I’ve become more conscious, and I believe very strongly in the ethical treatment of animals. And I think when PETA approached me about this particular campaign, I was really honored to be asked and I felt like I had a chance to add my voice to the dissent against the way animals can be treated all over the world by all persons, groups of people.

What would you say to someone who was wearing fur, who may not care about how it was made?
I think for me the idea of speaking what I believe in is not necessarily to change the minds of other people but to speak to those people who have that seed of empathy for animals in them, and therefore you are speaking to them and saying, “Do you want to, like, join us here?” The more people who join the movement, the easier to facilitate change.

A lot of my own fans have educated me on this kind of thing. A lot of my fans are very pro-animal rights and often, when I have been wearing fake fur, have said, “Is that real?” and really gotten upset, and I have had to reassure them, “No, it’s cool. It’s fake, don’t worry.” They have made me very conscious of it, and I am really grateful that they have made me pay attention.

Tell us something about yourself that your fans would be surprised to know.
Oh, my God—there are so many things. Where do you start? Lately I have been spending a lot of time around garden centers. I think people may be somewhat surprised by that. It’s not so much that I am into gardening as yet, but it’s certainly something that I am beginning to get interested in. Mostly because I just recently bought a house that has a garden and I want beautiful blooms in it, so I have become, “I want camellias. I want roses. I want hibiscus.” All of a sudden, all these flowers that I loved to buy at flower shops and cut and put into vases, and now I can grow them! Because I am such a frugal Scot, of course—why spend money on them when you can grow them yourself?

What is on the horizon for you career-wise?
I am just about to start recording my first-ever solo record. My band is on hiatus right now. One of my band is going back into production, another’s just had a baby, another is doing film soundtracks, so we are taking a break and I am going to start recording. I will be doing it all over—there are fabulous musicians in all corners of the world.

Who are your musical heroes or inspirations?
Oh, there are so many. The first name that comes to mind, strangely enough, is Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders. I know she is a huge animal rights advocate. I have always found her really inspiring. I have met her; I have sung with her onstage. She knows I am a slavish fan. I find her very inspiring, and I love Patti Smith, Siouxsie Sioux, Debbie Harry—all the great female icons had a big impact on me as I was growing up.

Is there anything you would say to your fans about getting active to help animals?
I think you do your best to state how you feel. And you lead by example. And that, hopefully, in turn will inspire someone else to say, “You know what? I want to add my voice to this” or “I want to do something like that.”

для меня это больше напоминает раскручивание самой себя перед выпуском альбома.