Hidden animal cruelty behind Lady Gaga’s Dior dress at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony

Lady Gaga wore real ostrich feathers as she performed “Mon Truc en Plumes” (My Thing With Feathers) at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

After her performance, Gaga wrote a post claiming that she collaborated with luxury fashion brand Dior to create custom costumes, using “naturally moulted” feathers.

However, no evidence has been given to prove this claim.

In fact, Dior recently received a ‘Very Poor’ Animal Welfare rating from a leading source for fashion brand ratings Good On You.

The sheer number of feathers used in Lady Gaga’s performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony begs the question, is there any way that all those feathers were sourced from a natural moulting process like Dior claims?

Most ostriches used in the luxury fashion industry are plucked after slaughter, and in some cases, they have their feathers plucked while still alive, which is an extremely painful and scary experience for these birds.

It’s a common misconception that feathers can be collected from the ground after ostriches moult. Unfortunately, this is often not the case for the suppliers providing feathers to fashion brands.

The ostrich feather industry is known to practice the cruel ‘live plucking’ method, as it considers feathers derived from this process to be of the highest quality.  

During this process, workers often place hooded bags over an ostrich’s head to subdue the animal. This is done to decrease injury risks for the workers as they rip the animal’s feathers from his or her body.  

Charlton continued:

Too often animals, from ostriches to crocodiles, suffer for luxury fashion. Dior made this claim at the Olympics, the biggest stage in the world, and they must now show the world how these feathers were collected.

Every year, tens of thousands of wild birds such as ostriches, peacocks and pheasants are exploited and brutally slaughtered for the profits of fashion brands that have not progressed to humane and innovative alternatives.

By opting for design alternatives and innovative materials, Lady Gaga could have used the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony as a global platform to pave the way for a wildlife-friendly future for fashion. Sadly, that is not how it transpired.

It’s time to put an end to animal cruelty in the fashion industry and move towards humane materials that are readily available today.

To learn more please read our report, ‘Feathers are the New fur: Cruelty in Disguise’ and take the pledge to never purchase feather garments or accessories today.

Take the pledge

Together, we can create a world where wild animals aren’t exploited for their feathers, fur or skins in the name of fashion.