WASHINGTON – Todd Oldham, the internationally renowned fashion
and lifestyle designer, is supporting the second annual Design
Against Fur! competition, a worldwide student poster design
contest sponsored by The Fur Free Alliance. In Canada, the
Montreal-based Global Action Network is hosting the
competition. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS),
which is based in Washington, is hosting the U.S. competition.
Oldham will be one of the judges for the U.S. contest.
Based in New York City, Todd Oldham has been designing
clothing, products and living spaces for 20 years. Guided by a
colorful, modern design philosophy Oldham has designed clothes
for the likes of Julia Roberts and Uma Thurman, a Home
collection for Target, The Hotel in Miami, wristwatches for
Fossil, The Hotel Of South Beach Hotel Miami Beach and most
recently a mod 62-piece furniture collection for the famed
La-Z-Boy furniture manufacturer. He has also hosted shows on
MTV and appears regularly on NBC’s "The Today Show."
A long-standing opponent of the use of fur in fashion,
Oldham stated: “The Design Against Fur! contest is a forum for
young, up-and-coming art and design students to put their
creative talents to work on behalf of animals. An important
part of living life is demonstrating compassion for others,
animals and the environment."
Design Against Fur! is open to all students enrolled in a
recognized college or university during the winter of 2003 and
the spring of 2004 who would like to design an innovative
anti-fur poster. Prizes for the winning entries include $1000
for the United States winner, $500 for the runner up and $250
for third place. The top three U.S. entries will automatically
be entered into the international competition where they can
win 5000 euros (about $5,500 USD) and a trip to a European
capital. The message to be conveyed in this year’s poster is:
When you buy or wear fur trim you are contributing to the
pain and suffering of animals. Consumers have the power to stop
the killing of animals for fur trim. Buying garments with fur
trim is unnecessary and unfashionable in this modern age.
In an effort to reverse its declining fortunes during the
last decade, the fur industry has inundated the market with
cheap fur trim. According to Zipporah Weisberg, Global Action
Network’s campaign manager, “Many people are misled into
thinking fur-trim is made from the ‘leftovers’ of full-length
fur coats. To the contrary, more animals are used each year for
fur trim than fur coats and 90 percent of farmed foxes are
killed for fur trim alone.”
The HSUS applauds the world’s leading animal protection
organizations for promoting this competition. John Grandy,
senior vice president of The HSUS stated: “It’s the younger
generation that sets fashion trends and the Design Against Fur!
competition helps them become informed compassionate trend
setters.”
The deadline to register for the competition is March 1,
2004. An awards ceremony to announce the winners will take
place in Toronto in late May 2004. Students can find out more
about the competition and register online at www.gan.ca.
About The HSUS
The HSUS is the nation’s largest animal protection organization
with over eight million members and constituents. The HSUS is a
mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion
animals and equine protection, wildlife and habitat protection,
animals in research and farm animals and sustainable
agriculture. The HSUS has protected all animals through
legislation, litigation, investigation, education, advocacy and
fieldwork. The non-profit organization, which celebrates its
50th anniversary in 2004, is based in Washington, DC and has 10
regional offices across the country.
About the Fur Free Alliance
The Fur Free Alliance (FFA) is an international consortium of
animal protection groups. For further information please go to:
www.inFURmation.com. The Design Against Fur! competition
information can be accessed at the FFA site in a number of
languages.
About the Global Action Network
Global Action Network (GAN) is a nationally incorporated,
Canadian non-profit organization, dedicated to animal and
environment protection. We believe that animals, the
environment, and human welfare are inextricably linked. Simply
put, animal abuse and the destruction of our environment has an
ultimate consequence - the degradation of the human species. An
official member of the World Society for the Protection of
Animals and the Fur Free Alliance, GAN campaigns against the
fur trade through education, grassroots organizing, coalition
building, and political networking.
