"No sweater or scarf is worth the blood, fear and cry of baby goats." With a statement as strong as this Yvonne Taylor, director of Corporate Projects of PETA, (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) encourages us to stop garments that contain mohair.
First of all … what is mohair?
Mohair is a fiber of animal origin that comes from the hair of the Angora goat . This wool is characterized by being smooth, fine and shiny. It is used in the production of sweaters, jackets, scarves and other accessories. It is a luxurious fiber that stands out for its great resistance, elasticity and a lower tendency to wrinkle. It is at the level of cashmere, angora and silk.
Years ago, mohair was reserved only for luxury brands and it was super exclusive but, today, we can find it in any low cost store. Of course, at a price somewhat higher than a synthetic jacket. So if a mohair sweater can be priced at 3 figures in some stores and can be found for € 50 in others, what happens? We imagine that the conditions of the animals and of the workers themselves have nothing to do with one case and another, so we applaud the initiative of some brands to stop using this fabric in their garments.
H&M Jumpers
What brands will stop using mohair?
The research carried out by PETA Asia shows –through a video that you have at the end of the post and that can damage your sensitivity– the suffering of the goats from which this material is obtained. The research covers 12 farms visited in January and February in South Africa (where more than 50% of the world's mohair is obtained) and shows the cruel treatment that animals receive.
This investigation into the mohair industry in South Africa has led several major international brands to commit to ban cruelly sourced material such as Mango, Primark, Esprit, M&S, Next, Lazy Oaf, Topshop, Zara or Gap . What is not clear is whether any of the brands obtained mohair from any of these investigated farms, so we applaud these actions anyway.
H&M, for example, has begun with the elimination of mohair from its stores, although it will not be something immediate, it is expected that by 2020 at the latest, this material will have been banned in all the stores of the Swedish giant. For its part, Zara is committed to the same strategy and plans to stop selling mohair products throughout the group in 2020. M&S plans to eliminate any product that carries mohair from its stores and website by March of next year and Next has prohibited the use of this fiber in any new collection starting in 2019. We'll see if they get it and if they keep their word …
What can you do?
We, for our part, promise to stop including this type of garment in our recommendations and we will proceed to eliminate any trace of this fabric in our fashion galleries. If you find any that we missed, please let us know! You can also contribute something to this movement and carefully read the labels of all the products you buy and avoid buying clothes or accessories made with mohair.
The video in question … If you are apprehensive, DON'T watch it.
