Were peacocks plucked alive to make Burberry’s 26,000 coat?
THE price tag is a whopping €26,000, the coat itself the flagship item in Burberry’s springsummer collection. But this is no ordinary trench coat. Made of peacock feathers, and worn recently by American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, it is the iconic fashion label’s most talked-about garment.
‘Never mind owning it, I’d give anything to see it,’ writes one influential blogger.
However, a Mail investigation has revealed that the provenance of the coat is not what Burberry would have had the world believe.
Until recently, its website — on which the coats are offered — has said that the peacock feathers used to make the garment came from birds raised on farms in India. It stated: ‘ 100 per cent farmed golden peacock feathers, India.’
All of which sounds eminently possible, since the habitat of this bird is the Indian subcontinent.
There is, however, one insurmountable problem: it is illegal to export peacock feathers from India.
Not only is it t hat country’s national bi r d, sacrosanct to the Hindu religion, but its numbers are also under serious pressure from poachers.
Rather than waiting for the peacocks to moult their tail feathers as they do naturally, the poachers kill them and rip out the feathers, which are then smuggled for sale abroad.
So, the news that Burberry claimed to source these feathers from India was met with astonishment. Maneka Gandhi, a high-profile member of the Indian parliament, was so concerned she called for an investigation. ‘Regardless of how they are collected, it’s unethical to wear them as it encourages illegal trade,’ she said. When I contacted Burberry to ask how it was able to export feathers legally for the coat from India, I was initially told the company had no further information. Within 24 hours, however, I was contacted by PR firm Brunswick on behalf of Burberry. They said a mistake had been made. The feathers, it now transpired, had come from a farm in China.
From China they went to a dealer in New York, who then exported them to India. In India, seamstresses sewed them onto fabric, which was then exported to Italy, where the coat was finished.
ABURBERRY spokeswoman says: ‘We have policies in place with al l our s uppliers, designed to ensure the highest standards of ethical trading throughout our business. ‘Burberry’s terms and conditions of purchase that govern our relationship with vendors require them (and their subcontractors) to comply with the Ethical Trading Policy as well as compliance with all local labour and environmental laws. A very limited number of items has been made using peacock feathers. This is not mass production, nor is Burberry encouraging widespread use.’
It is understood that fewer than 20 coats have been made.
While that may solve the mystery of the Indian-farmed feathers, and clarifies that Burberry has not acted illegally, it will do little to assuage animal rights concerns.
‘Anyone with an ounce of compassion should steer clear of these products and opt for the many fabulous, humane, synthetic fashions available,’ says a spokesman for animal rights charity PETA.
While that might mean opting for a beige trench coat rather than one embellished with peacock feathers, there is an advantage — it’s far better suited to the Irish weather.