Donna Karan Draws Raucous Protesters at Met Fundraiser

'New Age Hypocrite' Ad Campaign Launched to Protest Designer's Use of Fur

For Immediate Release:
December 13, 2010

Contact:
Ashley Gonzalez 757-622-7382

New York -- Waving giant posters that read, "Donna Karan: New Age Hypocrite," and juxtapose a photo of the designer doing yoga with graphic images of bloody bunnies, PETA members will gather outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art as guests arrive for the "Change Begins Within" benefit. The posters are part of a citywide ad blitz targeting the designer. The protesters will also catcall Karan—who is cohosting the event—and urge her to stop using fur in her designs.

When:   Monday, December 13, 5:30 p.m. 

Where:  Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave. (at 82^nd Street), New York

"Donna Karan, of all people, should know that sentencing countless rabbits to a horrific life and a violent death is nothing but bad karma," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman.

PETA has plastered the city with "New Age Hypocrite" posters calling for a Donna Karan boycott. The ads have also been placed near the designer's Upper West Side home, Greenwich Village Urban Zen store, Times Square headquarters, and Madison Avenue flagship store.

Undercover investigations have revealed horrendous conditions on fur farms in China, a country from which Donna Karan buys rabbit fur. Video footage shows rabbits twitching and shaking after their throats are cut. Workers on Chinese fur farms—where there are no penalties for abusing animals—pull rabbits out of cages by their ears and stun the screaming animals with electrical devices.

Many top fashion designers—including Calvin Klein, Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger—are 100 percent fur-free.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.