PETA launches US fashion-dedicated awards: Kylie Jenner, Gucci among winners

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has launched its first inaugural US Fashion Awards – an extension of its already established UK awards – through which it said it wanted to recognise “industry trailblazers making fashion kinder to animals and the planet”.

Among the winners of this first edition were that of Kylie Jenner, who launched her new clothing brand Khy making her the recipient of the Best Vegan Fashion Moment, and Gucci, which won Best Luxury Product for its vegan Horsebit 1955 Shoulder Bag.

Versace was the honouree for Hottest Vegan Leather Product for its Croc-lacquered Cloquet Jacket – designed using recycled polyester and nylon – while Stella McCartney received Best Vegan Heel for the brand’s Ryder Knee-High Stiletto Boots.

Best Men’s Fashion went to Abercrombie & Fitch, recognising the brand for its “large selection of vegan menswear”, and Gap was selected as the Overall Most Vegan-Friendly Company, for its variety of animal-free products in The Vegan-Leather Shop and The CashSoft Shop.

Other winners included Most Wanted Awards’ Aupen for its celeb-favoured vegan bags, Alice + Olivia’s Best Vegan Exotic-Skin Staple vegan leather minidress, Max Mara’s vegan suede jacket now holding the title of Best Vegan Suede Staple and Canada Goose, which won the Coolest Warmest Down-Free Fashion award for its Tencel Carlyle Quilted Shirt Jacket.

Alongside the honourees, PETA also named “two dishonours”. H&M received Villain of the Year for “supporting the down industry”, while Reformation was named Greenwasher of the Year for “marketing itself as a ‘sustainable’ company while also selling cruel and environmentally destructive animal-derived materials”.

This article has been updated Dec 22, 08:43, to include a response from Reformation regarding PETA's claims.

In a statement to FashionUnited, a spokesperson for the company said: "Reformation wholeheartedly reject this completely false characterization. There is a tremendous amount of misinformation about what is actually sustainable in fashion, which is why Reformation regularly publish detailed reports about their efforts. This is the exact opposite of greenwashing, which by definition is making and benefiting from unsubstantiated claims."