Models weren’t the only ones stomping down the runway at the Coach fashion show on September 7. They were briefly joined by two PETA activists, adding a dramatic twist to the presentation held at the New York Public Library Main Branch during New York Fashion Week. One PETA supporter was nude apart from the body paint that covered her in tendon and muscle-inspired flourishes from head to toe for a “skinned” animal effect. On her chest, a message to the brand read: “Coach: Leather Kills.” A second, clothed protester marched down the catwalk carrying a sign emblazoned with the same sentiment.
The demonstrators were quickly removed from the catwalk by security guards, who lifted the women off the ground and carried them out of the event.
“Today’s conscientious consumers know that the future of fashion lies in innovative vegan materials, not in cows’ sliced-off skin,” said PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman in a press release. “PETA is shaking up Coach’s catwalk to drive home the message that leather belongs in the annals of history, not in designers’ current collections.”
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Runway crashing is a Fashion Month tradition. And the Coach fashion show is far from PETA’s first rodeo in that regard. The animal rights advocacy organization is known for staging highly public demonstrations, using shock value to underscore the fashion industry’s cruelty to animals and the environment. PETA’s first-ever naked protest took place more than 30 years ago at a 1991 Oscar de la Renta runway show.
