DJ Tigerlily Launches Vegan Leather Campaign

Internationally renowned vegan DJ Dara Hayes—known professionally as DJ Tigerlily—recently launched vegan leather fashion campaign “Leather Truth” on behalf of Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV). The campaign urges consumers to go leather-free and features DJ Tigerlily and rescued cow Strongheart on its website, videos, and posters that are plastered across Melbourne, Australia with the message “Strongheart’s skin belongs to him.”

The non-graphic campaign video shows Strongheart as a five-day-old calf in a slaughterhouse holding pen, where he was rescued by ALV the night before his slaughter. “In the meat and dairy industries, the flesh and skin of slaughtered cows are sold for a profit,” DJ Tigerlily says in the video. “For this reason, these industries define leather as a ‘co-product’. The skins of newborn male calves killed in the dairy industry are especially valuable because they are so soft.” She also points out the many widely available vegan leather alternatives made from polyurethane, pineapple leaves, apples, cork, washable paper, and other innovative eco-materials. The campaign website provides further information about the industry and also offers discounts on a curated selection of ethical and sustainable fashion brands.