How did the PETA activists end up on the catwalk?

Of the last Fashion Month, we especially remember the memes, soundtracks and PETA activists. In the space of four weeks, the animal rights organisation managed to make its voice heard at the shows of four luxury brands: Burberry in London, Coach in New York, Gucci in Milan and Hermès in Paris. Displaying placards protesting against the brands' production of leather goods and down, the activists interrupted the shows with the same grace and high heels as the models chosen by the designers. Amazed by their looks, fans of the fashion system commented online on the eye-catching outfits of the young protestters, but few wondered how they actually managed to get backstage. Getting an access credit for a coveted fashion show like Gucci or Hermès is difficult for fashion students, let alone one who would like the brands to go out of business. We know there is a black market for fashion show invitations, but we never thought it would be so easy for PETA.

PETA activist at the Gucci show

PETA activists at the Coach show

PETA activist at the Burberry show

PETA activist at the Hermés show

PETA's fight against Hermès - in particular the fashion house's choice to continue using exotic skins - has been going on for years; the non-profit organisation has even bought shares in the French company in the past. In an interview with the New York Times, Rachna Shah, managing director of a company that handles accreditation for fashion shows during Fashion Week, admitted her own faults. «I think everyone had let their guard down a little bit.» Indeed, the last time PETA had managed to infiltrate a fashion show on the same scale as Hermés's was in 2021, when Louis Vuitton presented at the Louvre. If in the early days of the fight against animal fur the organisation used explicit advertising graphics, now their weapon of choice seems to have become show-crashing.

According to the New York Times, it seems that the activists who crashed backstage took advice from one other, from New York to Paris. One of them claimed to have received a suggestion from the girl who protested at Coach - «pretend you're happy to be there» - while another, in order to take a closer look at the premises of the Garde Républicaine, where the Hermés show was taking place, picked up a cup of coffee to look more at ease. In order to sneak in among the filming crew and document the protest, one of them received a bracelet from the backstage staff. Circumventing security - who often get a list of names from organisations like PETA before the event - and performing the fashion entourage's favourite act, mingling, the activists acted as models, photographers, journalists and buyers, waiting for the right moment to take to the catwalk.

nss spoke to Sascha Camilli, PETA's Senior PR Coordinator who disrupted the Gucci fashion show in a black dress, who said: 

«Without courageous actions, extreme cruelty to animals, such as the clubbing of crocodiles for handbags and the dismemberment of cows for shoes, would be ignored. PETA's fashion show interruptions sought to shake designers and consumers out of their ignorance about the cruelty they are supporting, perhaps unknowingly, in order to open eyes and spark discussion, debate and questions about the status quo - and, of course, inspire compassion and change. These provocative actions work! Following campaigns by PETA entities, virtually all high-end designers have publicly denounced fur. Other materials stolen from animals such as leather and wool will soon follow suit.»

During their show-crashing, there is little time for PETA activists to air their message, so they must make the most of it. Cardboards, graphic outfits, paint and shouting are always needed. After being physically removed by security, the activists explained, they found themselves sometimes having to give interviews to the police, sometimes simply out on the street, talking to colleagues about how it went over a coffee. Given the strong response earned by the posts depicting the activists on the catwalk during the last Fashion Month, it is likely that we will soon see once again their fantastic walks and protest signs in front of Anna Wintour. What their crashes teach us, after all, is that the law of the best actor continues to prevail in the fashion system - «fake it 'til you make it.»