Animal rights activists disrupted a Loro Piana store on New Bond Street in London, briefly trapping customers inside as part of a protest against the use of fur and exotic animal skins in fashion. Videos shared on social media on Sunday show staff holding the store's doors shut while demonstrators could be heard shouting.
"We are sick to death of protesting these businesses," one activist could be heard yelling over a megaphone, according to a customer's video. The customer described the scene as "Loro lock in." Another video showed activists being removed from the store, with one holding a sign that read, "Animals are not ours to exploit."
Loro Piana, an Italian luxury apparel firm founded in 1924, has been previously targeted by activists in New York due to its use of fur and exotic animal hair, according to Good On You. While some luxury brands have moved away from fur and exotic skins, firms like Hermes, a subsidiary of LVMH (Loro Piana's parent company), continue to use them, the Animal Welfare Institute reported.
This incident follows a similar protest in April where activists stormed the Louis Vuitton flagship store in London, also protesting the brand's use of fur. During that demonstration, protesters chanted, held signs calling for a ban on real fur, and clashed with staff. The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) was involved in that protest, with its Executive Director, Suzie Stork, stating that LVMH remained one of the last major luxury conglomerates to still use fur. Stork cited the conditions under which animals are raised and killed for the fur industry.
The Metropolitan Police and Loro Piana were contacted for comment, according to the Daily Mail.