Donna Karan, the target of one of PETA US’ campaigns, has announced that her “fall” (that’s Autumn to you and me) 2009 lines will be fur-free and that she has “no plans” to use fur in the future!

Following all kinds of “Donna Karan: Bunny Butcher” antics, which have included protesting outside her boutiques, crashing her runway show, and exposing her cruel use of fur online, PETA US is now calling on activists and supporters to put the brakes on, This is a win for the real fashion victims – animals, who are routinely skinned alive for their pelts – and will allow us all to focus on Burberry and Armani and other targets while keeping an eye on Donna Karan’s 2010 collection.

Karan’s announcement came days after PETA US launched their (now offline) DonnaKaranBunnyButcher.com website and after mega–fashion guru Tim Gunn sent Karan and designer Giorgio Armani a video that he narrated for PETA US showing animals skinned alive for their fur and urged them to open their eyes to the violent and bloody fur industry.

While Donna Karan has followed in the footsteps of top designers – including Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein – Armani still refuses to stop using fur. Armani claims that he “only” uses fur from rabbits who are butchered for meat. We hope that you will take this opportunity to contact Armani to tell him that while the meat of gentle rabbits killed for their fur in China is sold to be eaten, the suffering that they endure is exactly the same. Point out that the cruelty depicted in this video on fur farms in both China and France show animals who are used for both fur and meat.

Armani, Armani, Armani. Where should I start? Last month, the lovely Gillian Anderson kicked off a PETA US campaign against Giorgio Armani, for his complete and utter failure to keep his word and remain fur-free. This video investigation of a rabbits kicking and screaming during slaughter on a fur farm, will show you what he is supporting. Since then, a tirade of celebrities have lent their voices to the campaign, including Sir Paul McCartney and Pamela Anderson, all upset over Armani’s penchant for rabbit pelts. PETA US has also written to many Armani-wearing stars, including Josh Hartnett, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Glenn Close, and Cate Blanchett, urging them to use their influence with the designer to get him to keep his fur-free pledge.

Now it’s time us Brits got involved and gave him what for! Check out the (totally gross but) amazing Pinochio posters we unveiled outside Armani’s flagship store in Knightsbridge today – perfect for Halloween, don’tcha think? If you missed the protest, you can still help. Watch this video, take action and make sure you forward it to everyone you know.

Gillian Anderson may be just weeks away from delivering her third baby, but the gorgeous X-Files star is squeezing in one last film project before the big arrival.

Our favorite redhead is all set to narrate a brand-new video of undercover footage taken inside European and Chinese rabbit fur farms, as part of PETA’s campaign to pressure Giorgio Armani to stick to his fur-free pledge—which, as we reported yesterday, he’s clearly having trouble with, if the freaky fur coats for toddlers in his new collection are anything to go by.

Gillian, who is well aware that most children have a natural affinity for and love of animals, wants to strike while the iron is hot, so she has agreed to spearhead our campaign against the designer. The dedicated animal rights advocate says, “I am stunned that Armani has gone back on his word. I can’t understand why anyone would want to use real fur, and especially rabbit because it is so easy to replicate as the pile is so short.”

Gillian has helped PETA and the animals repeatedly over the years, and she won PETA’s Humanitarian Award back in 2006. She invited PETA US Vice President Dan Mathews to give a talk at her daughter’s school in London, and she helped map out PETA’s Armani campaign strategy at the classy Groucho Club on Monday night. Though, of course, there wasn’t a champagne in sight—Gillian and Dan worked hard over glasses of lemonade and apple crumble. Cute ….

Linklane / CC

Last year, Giorgio Armani (right) was quoted as saying, “I spoke with the people from PETA, and they showed me some materials that convinced me not to use fur.” That’s what we like to hear, and how happy it made us. But now…. well, you could say things have taken a turn for the worse.

Armani’s new fall collection includes fur coats for babies (wrong on so many levels), floral-printed fur coats (wtf?), fur-hemmed skirts and fur-trimmed jackets. As you can imagine, we’re not even remotely impressed. But instead of disrupting his shows during Fashion Week in Milan last week, PETA US is aiming higher - at the stars, in fact.

PETA US Senior Vice President Dan Mathews hit ‘em where it hurts . TomKat (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes if you’re not as obsessed with celeb life as I am).

Check out the full text of Dan’s letter to Tom and Katie below.

    September 23, 2008

    Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
   

    Dear Tom and Katie,

    Greetings from PETA, where we’ve always admired your fur-free personal style. Because you are among the most highly visible wearers of Giorgio Armani, we are obliged to alert you to a distressing situation that has arisen with the company. We’ve been in talks with Armani for the past few years, asking the designer to drop fur. We showed his senior design team PETA’s four-minute video-which documents how animals on fur farms are strangled, electrocuted, and skinned alive-and a few months later, Armani told Time magazine that his meetings with PETA, “convinced me not to use fur.” Unfortunately, he’s gone back on his word; his new collections are full of fur.

    Most shockingly, his collections include fur coats for babies and kids. Please be vigilant about any packages that Armani sends for Suri, as they could include bunny fur from his toddler lines. We imagine that Suri, like other children, has a natural affinity for animals, which is why we find it shocking that Armani is not only breaking his fur-free promise but also trying to lure children into fashion derived from skinned rabbits. We also ask that you please use your considerable influence with Mr. Armani to urge him to keep his word and leave fur out of future collections and that you consider wearing fashions from some of the fur-free designers such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Stella McCartney.

    Thank you very much for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Dan Mathews
    Vice President
    PETA

Image: TimeInc / CC