Members of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) demonstrate on the catwalk during Just Cavalli's Spring/Summer 2007 women's collection during Milan Fashion Week September 27, 2006.. Photo Credit: REUTERS/Stefano RellandiniMILAN (Reuters) - Five anti-fur protesters stormed Roberto Cavalli's flamboyant fashion show on Wednesday, unrolling posters saying "Cavalli = cruelty" on the catwalk before they were dragged away by security staff.
Cavalli's sports-themed show for his Just Cavalli label had opened with a live brass band dancing on a mock football pitch, followed by models in broad-shouldered cropped jackets and thigh-skimming dresses to a backdrop of electronic score boards.
Amid the colourful parade, it took security a while to realise the animal rights activists were not part of the show.
"Sadly there are always people who disturb those who work, what can I do? I could impose stricter security controls but I don't think that'll make a difference," Cavalli told reporters afterwards, adding that he loved animals.
The protesters belong to animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Three of its members had also crashed the Burberry fashion show on Monday, shouting "Burberry fur shame".
PETA won notoriety in the fashion world in the 1990s with adverts of nude supermodels accompanied by the slogan "We'd rather go naked than wear fur".
But since then, fur has steadily crept back into fashion magazines and onto the catwalks.
"Cavalli is our target because he has described himself as an animal-lover but he has about every animal out there in his collection," PETA's Vice-President Dan Mathews told Reuters by phone. He was one of the protesters at the show.
Although no fur outfits have so far been modelled at Milan fashion week, which showcases spring-summer 2007 collections, Mathews said other collections by Cavalli featured fur.
Mathews said PETA representatives had also met with designers during the fashion week to show footage of fur farms and convince them not to use fur.
He attributed the revival of fur in fashion to trends such as the hip-hop "bling" style combining big fur coats with diamonds, as well as lobbying by fur producers.
Buyers at the fashion shows said the increased demand for fur was the result of a wider craving by consumers for luxury and exclusivity.
"It seems that customers are more and more interested in fur. It's considered a luxury fabric and the customer is interested in everything luxury at this time," said Gerald Barnes, senior vice-president at retailer Neiman Marcus Direct, before the Cavalli show.