Will Travers OBE, Co-Founder of The Born Free foundation — an international wildlife charity that campaigns to Keep Wildlife in the Wild — agrees, telling GLAMOUR UK: “Anything that glamourises, commodifies and trivialises lions, wolves and snow leopards, fake or not, and which portrays them as a ‘trophy worth having’ is, in Born Free’s view, deeply misguided. ”
“Wild animals and the natural world, including some of our most iconic species, are under massive threat. ”
“When the film Born Free was made in 1964, starring my father, the late Bill Travers MBE, and my mother, Dame Virginia McKenna DBE, there were perhaps 200,000 wild lions across Africa. Now there may be just 20,000. There is no time to lose. This is our opportunity to show we care by ending trophy hunting, protecting wildlife in the wild, and make the world a better place, one wild animal at a time. ”
Somewhat surprisingly PETA founder, Ingrid Newkirk, disagrees with the collection’s backlash. “These fabulously innovative three-dimensional animal heads show that where there’s a will, there’s a way,” she tells GLAMOUR UK. “Kylie’s look celebrates lions’ beauty, and may be a statement against trophy hunting in which lion families are torn apart to satisfy human egotism. ”
When questioned on the concern shared by many that this collection could encourage trophy hunting thanks to a return of taxidermy in mainstream trends, Ingrid makes the point that the brilliance of the designs — and the fact that many believed the heads to be genuine — proves that there is no need for the use of real animals in pursuit of art.
“Just as the rise of faux fur has made wearing animals obsolete, these hyper-realistic faux animal heads show that trophy hunting must be relegated to the history books, and anyone who desires to decorate their walls with a lion’s head can now opt for one of these beautiful, respectful creations instead. Schiaparelli’s innovative designs make the point that wildlife is to be admired, not destroyed. ”
