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The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle will be sent a luxury vegan handbag for her birthday on August 4.
Animal rights charity PETA will send the burgundy vegan handbag – made from plastic-free, recyclable Freedom Leather – by designer Alexandra K.
According to the organization, it chose the gift ‘knowing how much the Duchess loves vegan leather and to point out that cruelty-free materials are far kinder to animals and the environment’.
Vegan fashion
PETA Director, Elisa Allen, said: “This bag suits Meghan Markle’s fashion sensibility and eco- and animal-friendly attitudes to a T. PETA hopes the gift will encourage the royal family and its fans alike to embrace compassionate brands like Alexandra K and to steer clear of cruelly obtained animal skins.”
The charity adds: “Cows killed for leather endure castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning, all without painkillers, before being skinned and dismembered, sometimes while they’re still alive.
“In addition, the leather industry has a devastating impact on the Earth, from the carbon emissions produced by raising livestock to the toxic tanneries that pollute nearby water supplies and expose workers to excessive amounts of chemicals, including arsenic.”
Gifts
This is not the first gift PETA has sent the Duchess: before her wedding to Prince Harry, Markle was given a bull. The animal named ‘Merry’ was adopted by campaigners after ‘a lifetime of being forced to toil in the hot sun pulling a heavy cart’ – and set to spend the rest of his days relaxing in peace at a sanctuary in Maharashtra, India.
Speaking at the time, PETA founder, Ingrid Newkirk, said: “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle now have a one-ton bull to call their own.
“Rescuing Merry is an ideal wedding present for a couple who want their day celebrated with charitable works and contributions. The royal wedding is the perfect time for anyone to spare a thought for and show some love to all our fellow living beings.”
