Get ready, Paris. Action for animals just became an Olympic sport, and PETA plans on going home with the gold. The top local sponsor for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics—fashion house LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Dior, and other brands—is a company that peddles accessories made from the skins of violently slaughtered animals.
The last time we checked, the Olympic Games are supposed to represent unity, respect, and excellence—not abuse, torture, and exploitation. PETA entities have repeatedly exposed extreme suffering in LVMH’s supply chain. One PETA Asia investigation into Indonesian slaughterhouses that supply to LVMH revealed that workers bash snakes over the head with hammers, pump them full of water, and cut off their skin, likely while they were still conscious. Another PETA Asia investigation of crocodile farms in Vietnam that supplied skins to LVMH revealed thousands of reptiles confined to filthy, cramped concrete pits—some narrower than the length of their own bodies—for up to 15 months. PETA entities have documented that workers in the fashion industry slash crocodiles’ necks and drive metal rods down their spines, chop conscious lizards’ heads off with machetes, and slit ostriches’ throats in full view of their terrified flockmates.
A company like LVMH has no business sponsoring the Olympics—so PETA and our international supporters are kicking things up a notch. See how we’re making our mark at the Summer Olympics to speak out against LVMH’s cruelty.
PETA U.K. Disrupts Pharrell Williams’ Paris Olympics Party Over Use of Wild-Animal Skins and Fur
Two PETA U.K. supporters bearing a sign reading, “Pharrell: Stop Killing Animals for Fashion,” burst onto the stage during a star-studded Paris Olympics kick-off party to call out Pharrell Williams, host and Louis Vuitton men’s creative director, for his disgraceful use of wild-animal skins and fur in his collections.
The animal defenders held signs reading “Pharrell: Stop Killing Animals for Fashion” in front of a packed crowd of attendees, including Anna Wintour, Charlize Theron, Serena Williams, and Lebron James, before being escorted out by security.
A Badge of Horror: PETA France Meddles With the Medals
PETA France did some “meddling” to demonstrate how animals suffer for LVMH’s products. The spoof Olympic medals, which were sent to local reporters and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, depict LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault standing on top of a bloody crocodile while holding an axe in one hand and a Louis Vuitton bag in the other.
‘No Leather, Feathers, or Fur!’ Bodypainted Protesters Take Over Paris ‘Baring’ an Important Message
Just days before the start of the Olympic Games, PETA protesters descended on the Place de la République in the heart of Paris, sporting nothing but bodypaint representing various national flags. Holding signs that read, “United Against Cruelty to Animals” and “No Leather, Feathers, or Fur!” the flashy disruptors laid bare the cruelty behind industries that exploit, abuse, and violently slaughter animals for clothing.
© Clothilde TierceThe striking display leveraged the world’s attention on the French capital for the Olympic Games to remind everyone that far from engaging in “fair play,” companies such as LVMH profit off this bloody business. When it comes to defending animals, PETA will never wave a white flag.
PETA Pins Down LVMH With a Scathing Spoof Olympic Phryge
Playing off the Paris Olympics’ Phryge mascot—based on the traditional Phrygian cap that represents freedom—PETA unveiled our own symbol to call attention to LVMH’s sale of wild animals’ skins.
To honor the long tradition of trading and collecting pins at the Olympics, PETA entities distributed our parody pins to journalists and commentators ahead of the games.
PETA France’s ‘Projection Makeover’ Meets Paris’ Pre-Olympics Fashion Show
At Paris’ Place Vendôme, where celebrities and designers—including fur hag Pharrell Williams, the men’s creative director for LVMH-owned brand Louis Vuitton—gathered for the Olympics-themed Vogue World fashion show, PETA France did a “project takeover” in behalf of LVMH’s many victims.
The projection—which featured the message “Louis Vuitton: Drop Exotic Skins,” PETA’s spoof Olympic Phryge, and shocking investigation footage of humans slaughtering crocodiles—also illuminated the Eiffel Tower and the Louis Vuitton hotel on the Champs-Élysées.
A ‘Bloody’ ‘Olympic Phryge’ Ignited Controversy at the Olympic Torch Ceremony
While spectators flocked to Marseille to watch the arrival of the Olympic torch, a PETA France “Olympic Phryge” disrupted the ceremony with a message: “The Olympics, sponsored by cruelty to animals.” The parody mascot brandished a “crocodile corpse” in one hand and a “bloody” bag in the other, bearing the message “Louis Vuitton: Stop using exotic skins.”
PETA France’s mascot is following the Olympic torch on its path to Paris and has appeared in two other French cities, Bordeaux and Strasbourg.
Olympic Athletes Compete for Compassion
Unlike LVMH, some of the world’s top athletes are champions in sport and for animals. By promoting kindness to animals, these Olympians show everyone that strength and compassion go hand in hand.
“Every fur coat, collar, and piece of trim represents the miserable life and painful, terrifying death of animals who suffered beyond measure on fur farms. My friends at PETA and I encourage everyone to bundle up in faux fur … rather than in the stolen skins of murdered animals.”
—Wu Dajing, China
“Animals are alive—it’s as simple as that. And life, whoever’s it is, should be treated with much more kindness than we so often grant it.”
—Andy Murray, U.K.
“The slaughtering of animals and farming and everything, that’s obviously also a huge impact on climate change which maybe people don’t talk about as much. It’s more than a performance reason for me, it’s a lifestyle, it’s something I’m really proud of.”
—Novak Djokovic, Serbia
“Animals on the streets have tough lives, so it’s up to all of us to speak out if we ever witness them being abused. My friends at PETA India and I encourage everyone to treat animals with kindness and respect, just as we all want to be treated every day.”
—Dutee Chand, India
“We must value animal life more because we are also part of life on this planet. Let’s try to pay a little more attention to global warming. It’s not a secret that it’s a reality that hits us with intensity! LET’S TAKE CARE OF OUR MOTHER EARTH.”
—Yulimar Rojas, Venezuela
“I’ve found that a person does not need protein from meat to be a successful athlete. In fact, my best year of track competition was the first year I ate a vegan diet.”
—Carl Lewis, U.S.
Be a Good Sport: Take Action Against LVMH
Animals value their own lives and don’t want to be slaughtered for accessories. Urge LVMH to shed skins from Louis Vuitton and all its brands.