A new documentary urges the sustainable fashion movement not to leave animals out of the picture

A new documentary investigating the impact of animal-based materials used in fashion launches today on free streaming platform WaterBear.

Co-produced by one of the directors behind Cowspiracy, which made waves for its exploration of the meat industry’s connection to the climate crisis, Slay follows filmmaker Rebecca Cappelli across seven countries to trace the supply chains of leather, fur and fur.

Cappelli visits a tannery in India, talks to migrant workers in Italy, explores deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, visits wholesale fur markets in China and enters a farm in Australia with activists to save an orphaned lamb.

However, this documentary is about more than just animal rights. Cappelli touches on the current conversation about sustainability and presents an argument that the social and environmental impact of animal-based materials is not accurately portrayed.

Expert voices featured in the documentary include vegan activist Ed Winters, sustainability advocates Samata Pattinson, Dana Thomas and Bandana Tewari and representatives from professional bodies Fur Europe and Australia Wool Innovation.

I interviewed Cappelli about the making of the documentary…

Why did you want to make this documentary?

Slay came about because I think there’s a conversation on the right track when it comes to sustainability and what we’re doing to the planet, and people in the supply chain, but when it comes to animals, I felt there was a blind spot. Not just the animals, but the impact it has on the planet and the people who either work in the supply chain or live in areas affected by these industries.

I felt it was an opportunity to start this conversation and get people who really care about sustainability and social justice to take the ethical treatment of animals into the equation.

You particularly focused on wool, leather and wool. Why did you choose those three?

I think those are the big three if I look in my closet and if I look around. We have conducted investigations in seven countries, we have checked human rights issues, environmental rights issues, animal rights issues, it is already a huge stretch! Maybe in the future there will be some opportunities to dive deeper into some of the topics that couldn’t be in the film like ostrich feathers, down, cashmere, alpaca or silk.

You worked with Keegan Kuhn on this particular project. Do you hope that the documentary can be a “Cowspiracy” for the world of fashion?

What I really liked about Cowspiracy is that Keegan did a great job of creating that conversation on a very limited budget. For me, that was the inspiration. I would say that in Slay’s case, it’s more about engaging with fashion professionals and sustainable and ethical fashion activists and seeing how we can work together. That’s why my partner in this is Emma Håkansson from Collective Fashion Justice. I think she’s doing a great job of including everyone, not leaving anyone out of the conversation, not pitting one against the other. The hope is to really accelerate the adoption of best practices and materials.

I’ve always done it with the audience in mind, and my audience was actually, I would say, me 10 years ago. Someone who doesn’t really think about or care about this on a daily basis, but out of pure ignorance. I think there are a lot of people out there, whether they work in fashion or not, who would actually care more if they had access to this information. A big focus is getting out of these echo chambers.

One of the most powerful moments in the film is when you burst into tears at the wool farm in China. How was that experience?

I am not an overly emotional person. One of my worries about going there was thinking, what if I can’t process my emotions? But when you see them, it just happens.

It was hard for me to realize that I contributed to this and supported this unknowingly and thoughtlessly before. But it was a big moment, too, in terms of personal growth. It was an important moment of my life and I would choose that moment over again any day.

Were you nervous going into the lamb rescue mission in Australia?

I think the most shocking part of it was that, even though I trust the integrity of the activists who are doing this work, I was a little skeptical. I thought ‘Are we really going to find anything?’. We crossed that fence and it’s sad to see you see it right away.

It was a very quiet moment. It was very scary. It was very foggy. That is why the salvation lamb is called fog. There were birds singing. But seeing that little kid alone in the dark trying to look for someone. I’m glad we were there at that moment.

You address the argument that natural fibers are more durable and why this may be a myth. What did you learn about making this documentary?

This is a complex conversation that cannot be simplified. I think a lot of what we see is an oversimplified view of things: it’s either fossil fuels, synthetic fibers and microplastics, or it’s animal-derived and sustainable. I think we deserve better now in 2022. With the access to data we have, with the imagery we have and the amount of work being done by a variety of organizations, we need to have a more balanced approach.

I think we need to understand that, yes, synthetic fibers are contributing to the climate crisis, but so are the wool industry, the leather industry, and the fur industry, in addition to causing great harm to animals. We need to be able to address that and look at the innovation happening in this space. Just because something is free of animal material doesn’t make it magically sustainable either.

Do you think it is possible to ban animal-based materials for fashion?

We must also not forget the people who work in these industries. We cannot suddenly close down all the tanneries in India, for example, and leave millions without livelihood. We need to ensure that people working at the mercy of supply chains are cared for and that they have transferable skills to do more dignified work that is less harmful to them.

I think fur should be absolutely banned now. There is absolutely no excuse. It also presents health problems, as we have seen with COVID. The EU is launching this initiative where we collect a million signatures to demand not only a ban on fur farms in Europe, but also the sale of fur. I think that if we are serious about the climate crisis and addressing the challenge, if we are really serious about our future and the future of our children, at some point we have to make a difficult decision and we have to stop some things. . I’m not saying we have all the solutions and it’s easy to do, but I think we definitely need to move away from exploitation.