PETA has intensified its campaign against Pharrell Williams, criticising the Louis Vuitton men's creative director for what the organisation calls a lack of innovation in his continued use of wild-animal skins and fur in his collections, despite repeated promises to phase out the controversial materials.
The latest rebuke comes more than two years after Williams took the helm at Louis Vuitton and follows multiple public confrontations, including protesters disrupting film premieres and dropping banners at European events. PETA France has even called for French officials to revoke Williams' Legion of Honour award due to his use of exotic animal skins.
Who Is Pharrell Williams?
The 52-year-old Virginia Beach native rose to fame as a music producer and recording artist, creating hits like 'Happy', 'Get Lucky' and 'Frontin''. In February 2023, Williams was appointed men's creative director at Louis Vuitton, succeeding the late Virgil Abloh, becoming one of the few Black executives to lead a major luxury fashion house.
At Louis Vuitton, Williams oversees menswear collections for the LVMH-owned brand, which generated €86.2 billion in revenue in 2024. His debut collection featured a £780,000 crocodile-skin 'Millionaire' Speedy handbag, prompting immediate criticism from animal rights groups.
PETA's Campaign
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), founded in 1980, is the world's largest animal rights organisation with more than 9 million members worldwide. The group has successfully pressured major fashion brands including Chanel, Burberry, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Nordstrom and Tommy Hilfiger to ban fur and exotic skins.
PETA has lobbied Louis Vuitton to drop fur since 2011 and wild-animal skins since 2015. The organisation's investigations into facilities supplying LVMH have documented workers inflating snakes with water, bashing them with hammers, cutting them with razors whilst likely still conscious, hacking at crocodiles' necks, shoving metal rods down their spines and electrically stunning ostriches before slitting their throats.
Public Confrontations
At the September 2024 Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Williams' Lego-animated biopic Piece by Piece, a PETA protester interrupted the post-screening Q&A with a sign reading 'Pharrell: Stop Killing Animals for Fashion'. Williams responded by saying 'You're right' and claimed 'I'm working on it'.
At the European premiere in October, PETA UK supporters dropped a massive banner from the balcony proclaiming 'Pharrell: Stop Supporting Killing Animals for Fashion'. Williams again responded, saying 'Rome wasn't built in a day' and that he is 'working on those things'.
However, PETA has challenged these assertions. In a follow-up letter, the organisation noted that Williams 'made this same comment in Paris in July at your Olympics kick-off party. It doesn't take "work" to make a decision to stop doing something that most designers have already stopped doing'.
Hey @Pharrell ,
— PETA (@peta) November 15, 2025
Why does your “creative direction” for @LouisVuitton still rely on wild-animal skins and fur from terrified animals who are violently killed 💔 Can’t you innovate? pic.twitter.com/VV0TOSsmOC
The Stakes
LVMH has stated its 'Maisons' (fashion houses) 'are taking steps to achieve the target of 100 per cent of strategic raw materials (fur, leather, exotic leather, wool) being covered by the highest animal welfare standards by 2026'. However, unlike many competitors, the conglomerate has not committed to eliminating these materials entirely.
Williams continues to wear fur coats publicly and has showcased collections using mink fur, crocodile skin and other exotic materials. Despite acknowledging animal rights protesters at multiple events, he has yet to announce any concrete timeline for phasing out animal-derived materials from his Louis Vuitton collections.
PETA maintains that Williams 'could end the despicable practice today' if he chose to do so.
