News/Commentary

‘Skinned’ PETA activist storms Coach runway to protest leather, as A-list celebs watch

September 8, 2023 | | Print Article

PETA hit the Coach runway with one model wearing body paint depicting a “skinned” animal and another brandishing a sign saying “leather kills” as A-list celebrities looked on Thursday night.

“It’s time to STOP selling someone else’s skin and drop leather, @Coach!” PETA posted to X.

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and actress/singer Jennifer Lopez got a front-row seat to the spectacle, according to the Daily Mail. The event was held at the New York Public Library. It was creative director Stuart Vevers’ 10th-anniversary collection.

The two female protesters stormed the runway strutting their anti-leather stuff for all to see. A third activist recorded the incident, according to CNN.

One of the women was adorned in bodypaint creating the illusion of a “skinned” physique. “Coach: Leather Kills” was emblazoned across her bare chest in paint. She barreled down the runway before security got a hold of her and another protester and escorted them from the event by roughly lifting them off the ground and carrying them out.

The other blonde woman protester could be seen in a midriff-baring mauve outfit. She held high a sign with the same phrase as well as the PETA logo.

Coach is known for its high-end leather goods that range from shoes to handbags. The enterprise was founded in Manhattan, New York back in 1941.

The objective of the protest was to condemn the luxury brand “for its cruelty to cows and its reliance on environmentally destructive leather products.”

“Today’s conscientious consumers know that the future of fashion lies in innovative vegan materials, not in cows’ sliced-off skin,” PETA’s Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman declared in a statement. “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.”

PETA released a separate press release asserting that “cows killed for leather may be skinned and dismembered while they’re still conscious — after they endure castration, tail-docking, and dehorning, without any painkillers, on farms.”

“A PETA exposé of the world’s largest leather processor — which has supplied Coach — showed that workers brand calves on the face, beat cows and bulls, and shock them with electric prods,” the press release continued.

The Coach show is part of New York Fashion Week. The fashion event started on Thursday and will run through Wednesday, September 13.

Aside from Wintour and Lopez, “Riverdale” actress Camila Mendes and “Outer Banks” actor Chase Stokes were also in attendance and got a good look at the leather protesters. Editor-in-chief of British Vogue Edward Enninful was there as well.

Others reportedly in attendance were Lil Nas X and Dove Cameron.

Another incident took place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens where four climate activists created a scene when they began yelling from the stands during the women’s tennis semifinal match between American Coco Gauff and Czech Karolina Muchova around 8 p.m., according to the New York Post.

Play was halted for about 50 minutes as fans demanded the protesters, wearing matching “End Fossil Fuels” T-shirts, be removed from the arena.

The crowd began chanting, “Kick them out! Kick them out!”

“Three of the four protesters were escorted out of the stadium without further incident,” the USTA announced in a statement.

One of the protesters glued his bare feet to the floor of the seating area.

“Due to the nature of this action, NYPD and medical personnel were needed in order to safely remove this individual from the stadium,” the USTA said in its statement.

All four were arrested following the spectacle.

Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE

Latest posts by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles