London Fashion Week 2017: Protesters Call For Older Models And A Ban On Animal Skins

'Grow Up LFW.'

Groups of protesters have descended on London Fashion Week to demand the fashion industry makes changes.

Three women dressed in lingerie, heels and crocodile masks marched along the Strand, London, on Friday 17 February, to represent animal rights group Peta.

They brandished signs proclaiming: “cruelty to crocodiles unmasked” and “animals die for exotic skins”.

Nick Ansell/PA Wire

Peta spokeswoman Kirsty Henderson said: “We are here to remind people that crocodiles are not handbags - they are living, feeling beings.

“When they spend their entire lives on farms before having their throats cut, they suffer.

“You don’t need the skin of crocodiles to make accessories, that’s why we are calling on everyone from London Fashion Week to the public to leave the exotic skins on the shelf.”

Leon Neal via Getty Images

Peta regularly stages protests at London Fashion Week, however, this year they weren’t the only ones making some noise.

Five models, aged between 47 and 65, held a demonstration to protest the lack of age diversity on the catwalk and to challenge why models’ workloads decreases with age.

JD Williams

“Women don’t suddenly stop wearing or buying clothes after their twenties, so why isn’t this reflected in the models used in fashion shows?” questioned Jilly Johnson, 63.

“We’ve started to be more inclusive when it comes to ethnicities and disabilities on the runway – which is fantastic - but why not all ages?”

The protest was organised by online retailer JD Williams.

JD Williams
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