PETA human leather products on ‘Urban Outraged’ online store takes internet by storm

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) recently took the internet by storm after launching Urban Outraged, a faux online shop selling clothes and accessories made of “genuine human leather”.

The shop features everything from jackets, dresses, and belts to boots, loafers, and suitcases, with each product supposedly made with a human body part. A closer look at the products also reveals graphics of human blood, human faces, and human teeth, among others.

The store also features an ‘Afterlife Collection’, where consumers can turn the skin of their late loved ones into a handmade product of their choice. In reality, the faux collection has been launched to call out brands that continue to sell products made with animal skin.

In an official statement posted on the Urban Outraged website, PETA has asked crucial questions related to animal slaughter:

“When it comes to ripping off skin, a living being is a living being. Why is it okay to raise sheep just to shear off their wool? Why is it okay to kill a cow for leather? Why aren’t you horrified by what’s already in your closet?”

The organization also took a direct dig at Urban Outfitters for consistent use of animal skin in their products:

“While Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People (all owned by Urban Outfitters, Inc.) don’t actually kidnap, abuse, or kill humans or other animals for their products, they do sell skin and other animal-derived materials from farms and suppliers that exploit and kill animals.”

PETA further explained the gruesome details of animal cruelty that lie behind the production of animal-derived fashion items:

“Every year, billions of animals suffer and die for wool, cashmere, leather, down, mohair, silk, and alpaca fleece production. Sheep are often beaten, stomped on, and kicked in the wool industry. Goats exploited for cashmere scream out in pain and terror as workers tear out their hair with sharp metal combs. Later, their throats are slit in slaughterhouses, and they’re left to die in agony. And cows are routinely beaten and electroshocked for leather at some of the largest suppliers.”

Although none of the products on Urban Outraged are available for actual sale, the site allows visitors to add the products to their carts. Following the action, consumers are taken to a page featuring real-life images of animal cruelty.

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Twitter reacts to PETA’s faux ‘Urban Outraged’ collection

PETA’s satirical ‘Urban Outraged’ products took the internet by storm (Image via Urban Outraged)

PETA is one of the most well-known animal rights organizations in America that condemns all forms of animal cruelty. It mainly emphasizes opposing practices such as “factory farming, fur farming, animal testing, and use of animals in entertainment.”

The organization is often recognized for its aggressive campaigns attempting to raise awareness against animal violence. Its latest campaign involves launching a satirical ‘Urban Outraged’ clothing collection featuring faux items made with human leather.

The campaign went viral immediately upon its launch, and several social media users took to Twitter to share their reactions to PETA’s faux clothing collection:

Following the launch of the collection, PETA’s executive vice president Tracy Reiman spoke to The New York Post about the aim behind the fabricated campaign:

“A cow’s skin belongs to her, and she feels fear and pain in a slaughterhouse every bit as much as you or I would. PETA’s Urban Outraged challenges shoppers to see the individual behind every bit of animal skin on store racks and shelves.”

As reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if any of the brands mentioned in PETA’s collection would respond to the campaign in the days to come.