Want to have a killer look without killing animals? Tim Gunn will help you "make it work"! Long before the success of Project Runway and Tim Gunns guide to style made him a household name, Gunn was a friend of PETA and animals.
When he was the chair of the Department of Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design, Gunn started a program allowing PETA representatives to give presentations to students so that they could see for themselves what happens to animals who are tortured and killed for their fur. When Gunn became the chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne Inc., he invited PETA to show video footage depicting how animals are treated by the fashion industry worldwide and to present the many viable alternatives to animal fur.
Now Gunn is speaking up for animals again! But this time, Gunn wants you, the consumer, to know what animals endure in the name of fashion so that you can make informed decisions before buying clothing and accessories made from fur, wool, and leather. Gunn has become the latest celebrity to lend his voice to animals by narrating PETA's new skins video which he sent with a personal appeal to Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani, who both use rabbit fur in their collections. His appeal has not fallen on deaf ears, as Donna Karan announced days later that her fall 2009 lines will be fur-free and that she has "no plans" to use fur in the future.
