PETA sent a letter to Pharrell Williams congratulating him on his new role as Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director—and asking him to use his influence to ensure that the brand keeps fur and reptile skins out of its future collections.

“Instead of looking to the future of fashion, Louis Vuitton is still clinging to the same old bits of tormented animals’ fur and skin,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Pharrell Williams is an innovator, and PETA hopes to enlist his help in pushing Louis Vuitton to switch entirely to the luxurious, animal-friendly vegan materials it’s already starting to incorporate into its designs.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Williams follows.

Dear Mr. Williams:

Congratulations on joining Louis Vuitton! I hope you’re settling into your new role as Men’s Creative Director.

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our millions of members and supporters worldwide. Louis Vuitton is one of the last remaining brands that still uses antiquated fur and exotic skins—both of which are the product of tremendous animal abuse. Since you’re known as an innovator who always marches to the beat of his own drum, we’re hoping you will review the following information with an open mind and then use your unique position and power to push the brand to use only luxurious, animal-friendly, vegan fur and exotic skins.

Animals on fur farms—including those that are certified, audited, and/or verified by third parties—spend their entire lives inside wire cages so small that they can only take a few steps. They circle endlessly, chew on the cage bars, and mutilate their own bodies out of intense frustration that often drives them insane. They’re also commonly deprived of necessary medical care. Farmers electrocute, gas, or kill them in some other violent manner and then peel their skin off.

An investigation by PETA Asia revealed workers at facilities that supply LVMH striking pythons repeatedly on the head, suspending them in the air, inflating their bodies with water, and disemboweling them—likely while they were still conscious. Other investigations into the company’s suppliers found workers cutting crocodiles’ necks open and ramming metal rods down their spines while they were still alive and workers violently handling ostriches and cutting their throats.

Chanel, Stella McCartney, and Burberry have stopped using fur and exotic skins, and California has even banned their sale because the industries that produce them are so cruel.

As you’re someone who champions animal activism, we’re sure that this cruelty doesn’t align with your values. Today, innovative, animal- and planet-friendly materials, including bio-based faux fur and embossed fruit and mycelium leathers, are readily available—and Louis Vuitton is already using them! There’s no need for any animal to suffer for fashion.

Will you please confirm that there will be no fur or exotic skins in new Louis Vuitton collections?

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Jessica Shotorbani

Celebrity Outreach Principal

PETA