Kristine Kilty
Photographer: Lefteris Primos
Kristine Kilty is an international Creative Fashion Director and animal rights activist. Working in portraits, ad campaigns, fashion editorials, music videos, and more, she is known for her maximalist, exuberant and sexy aesthetic. She directs fashion content for international editions of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue and is a regular fashion contributor to South China Morning Post. She founded The Fierce Group, an agency working with international luxury brands to cultivate creativity and examine any movements, people, trends, or identities relevant to fashion. As an animal rights activist she focuses on a simple message: Stop Killing Animals. She works with a no fur/exotic skin policy with an emphasis on animal rights in luxury fashion and haute couture.
Can you tell us more about how you became involved with animal rights activism and how your focus or philosophy has changed or grown with time?
I became involved with animal rights activism from an early age. When I was 4 years old, my mum started taking me to dance classes every Saturday in Dublin city centre. In between dance classes, we would pass time by looking in fashion boutiques and each week we visited my favourite place, ENFO, which was an environmental office that was set up like an exhibition space with lots of information, videos, leaflets and interactive campaigns about the bio-diversity, the environment and saving animals. It was the late 80’s and my first memories were the scenes of whales being massacred off the coast of Japan. Even as a child I felt so compelled to try and stop this cruelty and began signing campaigns and asking everyone I knew to add their signatures too. By the time I was around nine years old I was doing a lot of independent research in local libraries on marine life and began creating projects for school which all centred around animal activism. At that point my dream was to work for Greenpeace! By the time I was 10 years old, I made the connection to what meat is (a living being with a soul) and instantly became “almost vegan” (I ate cheese for a few more years after that and had the occasional café latte!) before becoming completely vegan. With this exposure from an early age, I knew a lot about the fur and exotic skins industry, therefore, once I began styling and collaborating on shoots later in life, that I had a zero-tolerance policy for it from day one.
How have you seen the luxury market transition away from animal products thus far?
Some big positive shifts have taken place, particularly over the last few years, with brands such as Gucci and Burberry ditching fur and angora from their collections; and actively encouraging other luxury fashion houses to do the same. Chanel announced in 2018 that they would drop fur and exotic skins. Valentino pledged to be fur free from 2022 onwards.
A recent pivotal moment occurred in 2021 when the Kering group’s CEO and chairman Francois-Henri Pinault announced that ‘fur has no place in luxury’, officially banning it from the AW 2022 collections onwards. (Kering owns brands such as Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent and more). When a large luxury group does something like this, both the fashion industry insiders and the consumers really take note.
And of course, I must mention Stella McCartney’s pioneering vision to transform the luxury fashion industry into one that is sustainable and cruelty free. She has adopted a “no leather, feather or fur” policy since 2001. And, in addition to her own label, McCartney also holds a role of sustainability special advisor to Mr. Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH Group. I truly believe that she has the power to influence and inspire change.
You’re interested particularly in plant-based leather and have also mentioned lab-grown leather, can you say more on these processes and how it can be used?
First and foremost, plant-based leather is what I am passionate about. It is cruelty free, climate friendly and has low carbon impact. I love to see designers use it and push the boundaries of what is possible with innovative technology. There are so many incredible leather alternatives that have been created by using mushroom, pineapple, cactus, coconut, apple and plant-based agricultural waste. Not only can plant-based leather have a lower carbon impact compared with traditional leather, it can also have a significantly lower carbon impact compared with synthetic vegan leather.
While I would love every fashion brand in the world to stop using leather, I know that once there is a consumer demand, brands will continue to use it. Therefore, disrupting how fashion houses and brands work with the “supply -chain”, so that animals are not slaughtered, is highly imperative. While lab grown leather is controversial for some, I think it’s a brilliant alternative. VitroLabs Inc perfectly depict this concept on their homepage “A single biopsy from this cow can make millions of handbags. All while she remains grazing happily, right where we left her”. I absolutely want the world to stop killing animals, additionally there are also huge environmental benefits to switching to lab grown leather. So huge, in fact, that we would need an entirely separate Q&A for that topic!
Where do you see lab-grown leather fitting in luxury fashion? Stella McCartney has used a mushroom leather; are there other alternatives you have seen? How do you see luxury brands making similar changes?
Chanel have started to introduce some pineapple leather into the collections, which is a small step in the right direction when it comes to finding plant-based leather alternatives. I feel that luxury fashion brands are beginning to become more open about using alternatives alongside traditional leather. The big houses need to put their money where their mouth is and invest in innovative technology that will be game-changing, not only for animals but for the entire planet. The technology already exists, but, it needs further funding, creative collaboration and development. If every fashion house would change to a mix of both plant-based and lab-grown leather, then this would be truly brilliant. Stella McCartney continues to lead the way by working with her long-term partners Bolt Threads who have developed Mylo™️ which is a soft, sustainable leather alternative made from mycelium (the infinitely renewable underground root system of mushrooms). I find this innovation so exciting, as it’s fusing the artistry of fashion design with science.
Photographer: Lefteris Primos
As a creative fashion director, is it challenging to work with a no fur/exotic skin policy? How have you been able to navigate this in your work?
I have always said no to using fur/exotic skins and stuck to my word. If someone sends me fur for a shoot I don’t even take it on set. It gets left in a box! I have turned down large advertising campaigns for exotic skin brands, walking away from a lot of money. I have faced some challenges in the past when fashion PR’s (from some of the biggest luxury fashion houses in the world!) have sent me items and stated its “faux” when I email to double check, only for me to shoot it and find out it was shearling. Working internationally, across different languages and cultures, I have learnt that people’s perceptions of “faux” and “not real fur” aren’t always cruelty free. Therefore, I made the decision to avoid anything that didn’t have a garment label on it with the materials information or I ask to see the product line sheet before confirming the item. If in doubt I drop the garment from my selection. It can be tricky sometimes, as items can have fur woven into the garment, so it isn’t always obvious, particularly when working with haute couture collections.
What changes do you hope to see the fashion industry continue to make in the coming years?
I hope that the fashion industry can eradicate fur, exotic skins and leather completely!
How do you integrate your focus on animal rights into your work with and creation of The Fierce Group?
The Fierce Group is my boutique agency for creative rebellion. I work with a trusted team of visionary academics, consultants, and experts across the fields of fashion, art and culture. We work directly with global luxury fashion brands to nurture inspired creativity and encourage people to think differently about everything they do. This obviously includes asking them to question their own internal workings and to look to kind, conscious alternatives. For example, Pre-pandemic, I flew to China to speak for four days at a conference with a group of billionaires who all own various fashion companies. Through the work we did, I noticed a change in the room by the end, they all agreed faux fur was the right direction for them to pursue in the future. The work I do with The Fierce Group means that we have an opportunity to infiltrate from within! I am lucky enough to be able to have face-to-face discussions with Artistic Directors and Fashion Directors and ask them out straight about why they are still using fur etc.
Do you have any advice for individuals trying to shop luxury fashion while advocating for animal rights?
All brands, whether they are luxury or not, will listen to what their consumers want and will look at what is selling. Brands won’t develop a conscience overnight, ultimately what speaks to them are the profits that they present to their shareholders and investors. You can ‘vote with your feet’, which means walking away from a particular brand and not purchasing from them. Or, you can engage with the brand by signing petitions that encourage them to drop fur, exotic skins etc. and by leaving customer feedback online. Change can truly come about at a local level, for example the next time you are in a luxury boutique, ask the staff what hand-bag or shoe options they have in plant-based leather and/or when are they planning to stock some. Leave feedback in store, it all works its way up the chain. If luxury brands see that there is consumer desire, they will listen. You can also use social media to interact with luxury brands by leaving comments or tagging them in your posts….just make sure to keep it positive! With regards to making purchases, always check the label to see what each garment has been constructed from and if in doubt don’t buy it. Never feel embarrassed or afraid to look at the garment labels, particularly in a luxury fashion boutique. If you are approached by a sales assistant simply voice your concerns and ask them to help you check what the product consists of. Usually, the boutique staff are very happy to help and engage in conversation. The more we speak about fashion and animal activism, the sooner change can come about.
What are your socials?
IG: @kristinekilty
IG: @thefiercegroup
Website: https://www.kristinekilty.co.uk
Interview by Alessa Hatch, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Associate Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
