All Animals Are Fashionable, But Some Are More Fashionable Than Others
Navigating the industry's relationship with animals as friends, accessories and fabrics.
Recently, New York Magazine released a creepy editorial of humans cosplaying as animals to answer a slew of “ethical” pet ownership questions.
While some were fair game (How Agonizing Is It to Be a Pug? - I’m sure very. Traumatizing fact, once on a hot girl walk in London, a smooshy-faced dog’s heart gave out and died right in front of me), others were just dumb (Is My Cat a Prisoner - My cat? You mean the one we rescued from a pound, is told countless times a day that he is the best boy in the world, receives constant forehead kisses, and is allowed to sleep under the covers?).
Then, Vogue transformed into Dogue for its September issue, chronicling the pooches of the rich and famous.
While some of the stories were heartwarming, like Sydney Sweeney rescuing her dog Tank from a breeder in high school and fulfilling probably both their dreams of buying a house with a backyard, others pointed to continued ludicrous and out-of-touch displays of wealth.
For instance, we met Pilaf, Demi Moore’s weird-looking chihuahua, who was no doubt a product of severe inbreeding (How Agonizing Is It to Be a Chihuahua With a Disfigured Skull Making Its Eyes Permanently Buldge and Tongue Stick Out?). They photographed the dog in a Birkin bag and wearing a Swarovski bracelet as a collar. Apparently, the pup was flown to LA via Thailand for Moore during the pandemic and has since “flown to Europe 14 times.”
There were Anna Wintour’s three Goldendoodles which have standing weekly appointments at groomer PupCulture in Tribeca (that’s $12.50/month or $55 for a full-day session, the latter of which I’m betting Anna goes for). Oh, and don’t forget Ciara’s micro teacup poodle, Love Princess Wilson, who travels with the singer on tour in a private jet, a monogrammed Louis Vuitton carrier bag, and a shearling Gucci sweater.
In this economy?!
I have no doubt in my mind that if I had Demi Moore, Anna Wintour, or Ciara’s cash, I would dote on my cat the same way. And while I firmly believe in only having a pet if you have the means to care for it, Dogue is giving serious “I’m Rich, You’re Poor” vibes. I want to read the “interviews” that detailed the dog’s star signs, favorite toys, and who would voice them in a movie, not that they’re traveling in luxury jets and eating better than I am (Mariah Carey’s dog’s favorite meal is reportedly “whatever I select from the chef”).
When we consider fashion campaigns and editorials, animals have played a significant role in crafting fantastical narratives. We used to see celebrities photographed for magazines with their exotic pets emulating opulence like Tippi Hedren and her lion or Mike Tyson and his white tigers.
Now, editorials on ranches and stables have significantly ramped up, given the rise of Horse Girl Nepo Babies, who have cemented themselves as models (hi Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid!). While horse ownership has long been linked to the upper class, their prominent role in fashion today emphasizes this status more than ever, reflecting the deep wealth divide exacerbated on social media that takes us out of the realm of fantasy.
Along with Dogue, it’s got me thinking of Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. A crucial element that isn’t explored as deeply in the film adaption (Blade Runner) is that in the post-apocalyptic world set in San Francisco, most animals are endangered or extinct, with the prized few bought and traded by the ultra-wealthy.
Meanwhile, within the working class, electric-operated animals are a hot commodity, passed off as live ones to impress family, friends, and onlookers. This represents humanity's enduring obsession with status even in the bleakest of circumstances. I can’t help but draw parallels between the book and these editorials, where animals are displayed as the ultimate luxury accessory.
Then there is the ethics of animals involved in fashion. In 2022, PETA criticized Chanel for sending Charlotte Casiraghi (Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco’s granddaughter) down the runway on horseback. Yet, they were cool with the seven wild horses that served as a backdrop for Stella McCartney’s FW23 show (though Animal Aid was not).
Animal furs, once synonymous with luxury fashion, have been steadily phased out by big names like Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Versace, Burberry, and more. Yet, editorials co-starring animals continue. And they don’t just feature those protected from being transformed into high-ticket fashion. Snakes remain a popular prop for sexed-up shoots, as per Nastassja Kinski, more recently seen on Jennifer Lawrence for Vanity Fair and Nicole Kidman for Australian Vogue. Exotic skins are still big business for the likes of Hermès, Kering, and LVMH.
Extending beyond the exotics into the murky world of leather. The boundary between animals as friends or fabric remains apparent, which MSCHF has pushed (maybe pissed on?) in its latest product drop/social experiment. The label has bought a calf named Angus and pre-sold him as 1,200 burgers and four leather handbags, which the customers who purchased tokens will receive when he is slaughtered in a year and a half.
If a token owner wants to save Angus, they can cancel their pre-order. If 50% of pre-orders are canceled, he won’t go to the abattoir. At the time of writing, all tokens have sold out, with only 1% of orders canceled, so his chances are looking pretty slim. Sure, the ethics are sketchy and many have criticized the stunt as going too far. But how are the actions of anyone buying a share of Angus’ life any different from buying a leather handbag or a Quarter Pounder?
Even though I haven’t and wouldn’t buy into this gimmick, I’m not exempt from criticism on the ethics of animals for fashion (or food for that matter, but now isn’t the time to tell you about how Tender Is The Flesh turned me off meat for several weeks until a double cheeseburger turned me back on).
Would I have been tempted to help seal Angus’ fate if he wasn’t being made into such an ugly end product? Would I not have purchased my Prada Cleo handbag if I knew it came from Cleo the Calf, able to empathize with it because it had been given a name? Or from some other creature with its doomsday clock globally live-streamed?
Even if leather goods are made from the by-products of meat production, the immense air, water, and land pollution from the livestock industry makes it a major contributor to climate change and environmental degradation. Reflecting the dystopian world of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, our desire for status through luxury goods simply persists, even in the face of destruction.
Whew, it got real dark just there. Here are some nice pictures of cats in campaigns to cheer us all up.
I originally wanted to write about my love for fish in fashion editorials, but we veered way off-topic. Let’s finish up with some of the most fashionable fish - real or electric, they make for great pictures.
what about crab 🦀
Holding dead fishes like it's avant garde goes to show how we view animals differently because no way in hell would Bella Hadid lay on the back of a killed horse.