Julie Christie to Burberry: Stop Using Fur, 'for the Sake of Basic Decency'

On the day of fashion label Burberry's spring/summer 2008 catwalk show in Milan, British film legend Julie Christie fired off a letter to Burberry creative director Christopher Bailey on behalf of PETA Europe urging him to end the use of fur in Burberry designs. Christie — whose distinguished career has spanned nearly five decades and includes such classics as Doctor Zhivago, Don't Look Now and Heaven Can Wait as well as her most recent film, Away From Her — points out that the vast majority of Britons find fur "morally repugnant" and that Burberry's use of fur only serves to tarnish the company's image.

"For the sake of basic decency and humanity as well as for the sake of your company's reputation, won't you please stop using real fur in your designs?" writes Christie.

Burberry may be best known for its distinctive plaid, but its use of real fur is making the design house synonymous with cruelty to animals. Burberry continues to use fur in its designs, despite the fact that leading clothing retailers like J.Crew, Ann Taylor, Polo Ralph Lauren and others have pulled fur from their stores forever.

Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages, where they are exposed to all weather conditions. They often go without adequate shelter, clean water and veterinary care, and they are denied the opportunity to engage in natural behaviours like climbing, burrowing and swimming. The intensive confinement causes many of them to go insane.

Fur farmers use the cheapest and cruellest killing methods available, including suffocation, electrocution, gassing and poisoning. Many animals are electrocuted by having rods inserted into their rectums and 240 volts sent through their bodies. The animals convulse, shake and often cry out before they have heart attacks and die. Crude killing methods aren't always effective, and sometimes animals "wake up" while they are being skinned.

Burberry knows about the suffering that goes into every fur-trimmed coat, hat and bag, yet the company continues to use fur in its designs. With so many fashionable, comfortable alternatives available, there is no excuse for Burberry to continue using dead, tortured animals in its designs. Find out what you can do to help.

What You Can Do

• Don't shop at Burberry until it stops selling fur.
• Call, write to or e-mail Burberry and tell the company that you'll be boycotting it – and asking all your friends and family members to do the same – until it pledges to stop supporting cruelty to animals and adopts a permanent fur-free policy.

The company can be reached via e-mail at customerservice@burberry.com or by telephone on 020 7806 1328. Also, please send polite comments to Burberry's chief executive officer:

Angela Ahrendts, CEO
Burberry Group PLC
18-22 Haymarket
London SW1 4DQ
United Kingdom
angela.ahrendts@burberry.com

• Contact SarahD@peta.org.uk to join other compassionate people like you in leafleting or demonstrating against Burberry's use of fur.

Want to Do More?

• Sign up for PETA's Activist Network to find out about activities and protests happening in your area.
  
• Join PETA's online community to learn about animal issues and respond to action alerts. Our automated e-mail and fax system will allow you to quickly respond to cruelty-to-animals cases, action alerts, and more.
  
• Help PETA stop the abuse and suffering of animals by becoming a PETA member today.
  
• Donate unwanted fur garments to PETA. And shop at PETACatalog.com or PETAMall.com for cruelty-free gifts and apparel!