Feathers – flowy, weightless, dynamic and delicate. No wonder she has been spoiled rotten by so many creative minds over the decades, from being the favorite motif of Coco Chanel, to becoming the source of inspiration for Alexander McQueen, she wiggled it’s wonderful body from one house to another, busy with the storytelling of the boldest fantasies of people. You might have spotted her at Moulin Rouge or heard of her being besties with the red-carpet celebrities. If you want to explore the down-to-earth side of her, well…she is hiding herself very well inside of your duvets and cushions. Most of the time we are just amazed by its glamour and comfort but nearly forget or even know very little of how much those beautiful creatures are suffering for the sake of human’s desire of beauty. There is nothing wrong about thinking that feather is no different from leather – it is the truth! But it seems that the by-product is not the only thing that the fashion houses want to borrow from the food industry, they even extend their ugly claws to the fabulous bright-colored plumage from the rare exotic birds, stripping off their protection and causing them lifetime stress just for that short 10-minute show.

With fur free and vegan leather all over the place and an increasing number of recognizable names joining the animal-loving petition with excitement, the issue with those lovely birds are given so little attention; and meanwhile, the trend of stealing their plumages is coming back. A bit more justice for them has to be earned. When something is too beautiful, the ugly side behind the scenes are easily neglected. It is not feather or down that we are wearing, it is the layers of the tremendous pain those lovely birds suffered through live-plucking and force feeding; and the shame coming from the inside of our heart that we dress ourselves up. That perhaps explains why it has to go through a complicated set of procedures of brushing, washing, boiling, beating and dying – to cover the shade.

For Your Curiosity

Feather and down are the same thing?

No, feather is the outer covering of the birds; whereas down lies underneath and normally around the chest area which is softer and fluffier.

I haven’t heard of any standards that protect birds’ rights.

As a matter of fact, there exist a lot of standards, for example, the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) that encourages a more humane treatment of geese and ducks. There are some brands like H&M, The North Face, and Lululemon who are committed to this standard. And it is up to your, the consumer’s, decision to only consume brands that follow the standard so that more brands will start to shed some care to the siblings of our childhood companions – Donald Duck and Mother Goose.

What about those promises some brands make claiming that they only use feather that fall from birds naturally?

First of all, it is very difficult to trace each of them back to their source and more importantly, the fixed and infrequent molting cycle of birds of course can’t meet the great industrial demand for the soft, beautiful and weightless plumage in the fashion industry. Cutting corners and the greed of humans make the best friends. Also, ostriches don’t molt so that only leaves one way to acquire their feathers.

I heard there is such thing as harmless live-plucking.

There is no such thing. Live-plucking is now banned in the US and all European countries, but is not considered an issue in other countries like China where 80% of feather is sourced. Perhaps you mean ‘harvesting’, which is done during birds’ molting seasons when they lose their feathers naturally. Even if there is no harm done to the skin, the acquiring process often causes a great amount of distress.

For Your Natural Desire of Beauty & Better Living (there is no shame about it!)

Perfect substitute to the feather & down pillow in your bedroom?

Go seek for down’s synthetic cousins like polarguard, thermore and primaloft, etc. Primaloft, being the premier supplier of insulation to the Army, is just as great as down.

Craving for some bright, breezy, and fluffy fun for your party?

Why not turn your hand to more animal-friendly materials like plastic and tulle? It is also cheaper! And try to shop the brands and products with certified RDS. Walk away from the exotic feathers, today’s craftsmanship abilities have developed into an absolute wonder, able to transform any feather to look as if it was fresh from a bird of paradise.

The 19^th century popularity of feather muff led to the extinction of bittern followed by the huia of New Zealand in the early 20^th century. Who comes next?