Plastic-Clad Activists Expose Secrets of Skin Trade, Urge New Yorkers to Pleather Themselves
New York - Despite the punishing summer heat, notorious rubberwear designer Pigalle and one of her sexy friends will don full-body plastic dominatrix outfits to unveil PETA's leather-free entry in CowParade New York 2000. Surrounded by signs reading, "Pleather Yourself" and "Fake for the Animals' Sake," the London-based designer, whose sizzling fashions are sold in fetish shops worldwide, hopes to whip up interest in pain-free alternatives to leather. Pigalle will unveil PETA's "cow":
Date: Thursday, June 29
Time: noon
Place: Washington Square Park, at the intersection of Washington Square Park and Laguardia
The funky "cow," which is decorated entirely with faux leather boots, jackets, pants, and belts, illustrates how easy it is to find cruelty-free clothing. Real leather comes from animals who have suffered horribly. PETA's recent investigation into the skin trade in India uncovered shocking abuses. Because it is illegal to kill cows in India, corrupt skin-traders use bribes to smuggle the animals across state borders at night. The cows and calves, who often collapse while being marched for days to slaughterhouses, have their eyes smeared with chili peppers and their tails broken in an effort to keep them moving.
Pigalle, who took her name from the infamous red-light district in Paris and is known for her synthetic "leather" lingerie and clubwear, urges the fashion-conscious to shed their skins. Says Pigalle, "Wearing skins won't make you look sexy. Animal suffering is a turn off."
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