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Tag: PETA

  • Pawtrait mode on as tattoos go furry and feel-good

    Pawtrait mode on as tattoos go furry and feel-good

    MUMBAI: A tattoo might fade a little over time, but a paw print on the soul? That one’s permanent. In a bold blend of ink and emotion, Aliens Tattoo has launched Part of You, India’s first national tattoo movement celebrating the bond between people and their pets, and quietly channelling it into purpose.

    The initiative offers more than just body art. It’s a full-blown movement turning wagging tails and whiskered memories into legacy pieces, paw prints, pet portraits, or soulful abstract strokes that carry stories of companionship, loss, healing, and joy. And with 1 per cent of campaign revenues pledged to animal welfare groups across India, the tattoos are doing more than just sitting pretty on skin.

    “This isn’t just a tattoo. It’s a legacy,” said Aliens Tattoo founder and chief visionary artist Sunny Bhanushali. “When someone loses a pet, or even wants to celebrate the little joys of companionship, we believe that story deserves more than a memory. It deserves permanence. And with ‘Part of You’, we’re making sure that permanence helps more lives not just honours one.”

    The numbers already speak in barks and tail wags. The campaign has notched over 7 million organic impressions online, with pet-themed tattoo bookings surging by 43 per cent across Aliens studios in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. The stories are heartbreakingly beautiful like the woman in Pune who inked her late dog’s paw to mark 15 years of unconditional love, or the man from Assam who flew to Mumbai to get his cat’s eyes immortalised in ink.

    But Part of You goes beyond the studio chair. A video storytelling series captures the raw emotions behind each tattoo, why people choose permanence, and how the ink becomes therapy, tribute, and identity all at once. There’s also a microsite that guides pet parents through their own tribute journey, with curated design options and artist collaborations that simplify translating feelings into form.

    What makes this more than a marketing masterstroke is its structure: Part of You is stitched together like a cultural movement. Aliens Tattoo has looped in animal welfare partners like People for Animals, Pedigree, and Heads Up For Tail alongside tattoo artists and pet parents, making this the first large-scale, brand-led initiative in India to formalise emotional tattooing in a thoughtful, scalable way.
     

    Globally, emotional ink is growing from ashes-infused tattoos in the West to soundwave tributes and pet noseprints. But in India, Part of You is a pioneering howl, giving grieving pet parents not only a safe space but a meaningful ritual.

    In an age where tattoos are no longer rebellion but reflection, Part of You reminds us that sometimes, the deepest connections don’t speak, they purr, they nuzzle, and when they’re gone, they leave behind more than memories. They leave a story worth etching forever.

  • Virgio earns PETA certification for ethical fashion

    Virgio earns PETA certification for ethical fashion

    Mumbai – Virgio, the pioneering sustainable fashion brand, is proud to announce that it has officially received the PETA Approved Vegan certification. This significant milestone underscores Virgio’s unwavering commitment to ethical practices, animal welfare, and pro-planet fashion.

    People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India is the best known animal rights organisation in the country with over 2 million members and supporters. Global PETA entities combined have more than 9 million members and supporters. Every year, billions of animals suffer and die for clothing and accessories. The fashion industry has long been criticised for its exploitation of animals, involving practices that are often hidden from the public eye. From the use of fur, leather, wool, and silk to testing products on animals, the industry has a substantial impact on animal welfare. Animals are subjected to cruelty and inhumane conditions to meet the demands of fashion consumers.

    Virgio has been at the forefront of transforming the fashion industry by embracing sustainable & ethical fashion.  Achieving PETA approval is a testament to Virgio’s mission. Virgio uses cruelty-free vegan materials such as natural fabrics, recycled fabrics, and other alternatives to traditional animal-derived products. This ensures that no animals are harmed in the creation of the collections.

    “We are thrilled to be recognized by PETA for our commitment to cruelty-free and ethical fashion,” said Amar Nagaram, Co-founder and CEO of Virgio stated. “This certification aligns with our core values of ethics, transparency, innovation, and responsibility towards our planet and all its inhabitants. It is a significant step forward in our mission to create fashion that respects the environment and its inhabitants.”

    Virgio’s PETA Approved Vegan status assures consumers that no animal-derived materials are used in the creation of its products. The certification process involved rigorous scrutiny of Virgio’s supply chain, materials, and manufacturing processes to ensure compliance with PETA’s stringent standards.

    “PETA India is thrilled to have Virgio proudly declare its compassion for animals and respect for the environment by obtaining ‘PETA-Approved Vegan’ certification,” says PETA India Senior Corporate Affairs Assistant Priyanka Bhoj. “Consumers are increasingly rejecting fashion that involves animal suffering and death, and the harmful environmental impact of leather, wool, and other animal-derived materials is well-documented. By choosing vegan, Virgio is setting the standard in the industry and leading the way in ethical and sustainable fashion.”

    “We believe in fashion that lasts longer, looks better, and does no harm,” Amar Nagaram added. “Our partnership with PETA strengthens our resolve to lead the industry towards a more humane and sustainable future.”

  • Amul & PETA India engage in a Twitter war

    Amul & PETA India engage in a Twitter war

    Mumbai: Just days after Amul claimed vindication on its ad that purportedly unravels the facts and myths behind vegan milk as opposed to cow’s milk, the debate seems to have spilled all over the social media, triggering a tweetstorm between Amul MD Sodhi and PETA India. The ad released in March this year by Amul was challenged by three animal rights organisations, one of them being PETA, for disparaging vegan milk as “impersonating or masquerading as a dairy product”, while extolling the virtues of cow’s milk. The petitioners alleged that the contentions made in the advertisement were false.

    The ‘Myths vs. Facts’ print campaign, according to Amul, was to “expose the falsity behind myths that were being circulated regarding milk and to call out plant-based beverages terming itself as ‘milk’.

    The Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci) dismissed the three complaints filed by the organisations — Beauty Without Cruelty, PETA and Sharan India, who had complained against the homegrown dairy giant’s ‘Myths vs. Facts advert which said that plant-based “milk” is not milk. The petitions were filed on 24 March.

    Based on the response and evidence provided by Amul, as well as FSSAI guidelines that specifically defined milk as a vegetarian product, the consumer complaints council (CCC) of ASCI examined the issue and concluded that the advertiser had not made any misleading claims in the advertisement. 

    Following this, Amul India MD Sodhi tweeted the news with his strongly-worded statement, where he is quoted as saying, “Plant-based food companies are encashing the equity of milk. These products are nothing but genetically-modified lab foods that are made out of chemicals and synthetic materials by big corporations and MNCSs, with the only objective of profit making and not livelihood.”

     

     

     In response, PETA India tweeted “Indian farmers stand to greatly benefit from vegan (which simply means made from plants) foods. Instead of fighting the inevitable vegan national/global trend, @Amul_Coop can start making plant-milk itself like so many dairy & former dairy companies now do.”

    It also shared a Forbes article stating how India can lead the Vegan economy against the future pandemics. Vegan milk is an umbrella term referring to various kinds of non-dairy, plant-based ‘milks’ such as soy, coconut and almond.

    However, the country’s largest producer of dairy products was not amused by the suggestion.

    “Peta wants Amul to snatch livelihood of 100 mill poor farmers and handover all resources built in 75 years with farmers’ money to market genetically modified Soya of rich MNCs at exorbitant prices, which (the) average lower middle class can’t afford,” Sodhi tweeted in his rejoinder to the NGO.

     

     

    PETA India, countered citing another FMCG brand’s name which had made the shift, “Unilever is into vegan foods. Why can’t Amul?” with a gentle jibe that “Smart businesses respond to trends”.

    While both parties continued to stick to their respective stands, several netizens clambered onto the tweet-war, expanding the scale of the debate – with each giving their take on it while taking sides.

    Some accused PETA of selectively singling out issues, while ignoring other cases where animal abuse is rampant- advising it to focus on saving animals.

    Many others criticised Amul for labelling all plant-based beverages as bad. One twitterati tweeted in favour of veganism, accusing the dairy giant of providing employment and making money at the cost of cows and their calves. “Needs & technology continue to evolve for the better all the time. Jobs evolve with it. You are setting your company up for failure by fighting against what is right. #veganism.”

    As of now, there seems to be no end in sight to the debate around cow’s milk vs. vegan milk. What’s your take on it?

  • O&M Thailand CCO opens up on the now viral “The Leather Work” campaign by PETA

    O&M Thailand CCO opens up on the now viral “The Leather Work” campaign by PETA

    MUMBAI: There is no dearth of ‘shocking’ videos that circulate the internet and take netizens by a storm for a brief period of time, but rarely does one leave a lasting impact like PETA’s Behind That Exotic-Skin Handbag.
    As the name reflects, the video aims to bring to light the controversial and yet generally known issue of animal cruelty in the luxury leatherwear industry.

    In partnership with advertising mammoth Ogilvy and Mather, PETA manages to capture the macabre behind the leather fashion industry by bringing it to the glossier front of the showroom.

    For years PETA has fought against the cruel abuse of animals in the leather industry with a major challenge being to convince the fashionistas who, though sympathise with the cause, but completely dissociate from it when admiring that fine leather clutch in the showroom.

    Therefore Ogilvy and Mather were up for a challenge to execute a campaign that not only effectively spreads the message but lets people experience the cruelty first hand.

    “It is a challenge how to communicate the same message that has been done in various forms effectively with impact. So, we came up with this campaign that not only delivers the message but to let the target audiences experience the cruelty in their hands,” Ogilvy & Mather Thailand, Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer Nopadol Srikieatikajohn.

    The mandate from PETA was simple, “no animals should be killed and used in the process of campaign production,” and that’s exactly what Ogilvy did, much to the surprise of those who have seen the video.

    They created a pop up store ‘Leatherworks’ in the heart of Thailand’s largest shopping centres, promising urban shoppers and fashionistas leather goods, more real than they perhaps ever wanted.

    The objective was clear: to convince fashion lovers to give up on real leather merchandise and go for faux leather or synthetic leather, and they did so amazingly by shocking potential buyers ‘beating hearts’, ‘bloody skins,’ and ‘gory sinews’. Ironically, the bloody ‘insides’ showcased in the video really are made up of various types of plastic and synthetic material, as per PETA Asia Pacific. To give it that realistic appeal was the most challenging part of executing this campaign, pointed out Srikieatikajohn..

    “The organ mock ups and mechanics was one of the most challenging parts. It doesn’t only need to look real but the mechanic behind also has to be programmed perfectly with the sensor detection to make the organs move when they were exposed to the light (when the bags opened.) This experiment process took up to 12 weeks before we get the perfect fully functioned mock ups running,” he explained.

    “It wasn’t an easy job to set up a show that looked real enough to come shop either. To make it most effective, it had to be at the centre of a tourist shopping district. With budget constraints and a very provoking campaign idea, it was really hard to find the right venue that could support us and agree with the small budget. After 3 to 4 location surveys and contacts, we finally found the one that worked.”

    “It took two months– from showroom design to the full set up. Before we were allowed to rent the store, campaign details and store design were submitted to the landlord for approval,” the creative explained.

    When asked about the people shown in the published video, Srikieatikajohn said, “With the legal issues, some of the footage of real shoppers cannot be used. The people in the Video are a mix of real shoppers and people that we invited to the shop; however they were all unaware of what they would see in the shop while we were filming and we captured their real shocking reactions.”

    The issue with a shocking brand communication is that sometimes people might be overwhelmed by the shock and forget the underlying message. PETA and O&M knew this well, and were patient with how people responded to the campaign and the following video.

    “We did not expect them to understand the message right away so we had a staff approached them right after they found out what’s inside, handed out the brochure and explained the true message behind the campaign,” Srikieatikajohn said.

    “Every year, hundreds of thousands of reptiles are crudely bludgeoned and skinned alive, all for the sake of so-called ‘luxury’ shoes, belts and bags”, says PETA India Chief Executive Officer Poorva Joshipura. “PETA Asia’s gruesome pop-up shop reminds shoppers that the only way to keep blood and guts out of our closets is to choose vegan clothing, shoes and accessories,” she added in parting.

  • O&M Thailand CCO opens up on the now viral “The Leather Work” campaign by PETA

    O&M Thailand CCO opens up on the now viral “The Leather Work” campaign by PETA

    MUMBAI: There is no dearth of ‘shocking’ videos that circulate the internet and take netizens by a storm for a brief period of time, but rarely does one leave a lasting impact like PETA’s Behind That Exotic-Skin Handbag.
    As the name reflects, the video aims to bring to light the controversial and yet generally known issue of animal cruelty in the luxury leatherwear industry.

    In partnership with advertising mammoth Ogilvy and Mather, PETA manages to capture the macabre behind the leather fashion industry by bringing it to the glossier front of the showroom.

    For years PETA has fought against the cruel abuse of animals in the leather industry with a major challenge being to convince the fashionistas who, though sympathise with the cause, but completely dissociate from it when admiring that fine leather clutch in the showroom.

    Therefore Ogilvy and Mather were up for a challenge to execute a campaign that not only effectively spreads the message but lets people experience the cruelty first hand.

    “It is a challenge how to communicate the same message that has been done in various forms effectively with impact. So, we came up with this campaign that not only delivers the message but to let the target audiences experience the cruelty in their hands,” Ogilvy & Mather Thailand, Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer Nopadol Srikieatikajohn.

    The mandate from PETA was simple, “no animals should be killed and used in the process of campaign production,” and that’s exactly what Ogilvy did, much to the surprise of those who have seen the video.

    They created a pop up store ‘Leatherworks’ in the heart of Thailand’s largest shopping centres, promising urban shoppers and fashionistas leather goods, more real than they perhaps ever wanted.

    The objective was clear: to convince fashion lovers to give up on real leather merchandise and go for faux leather or synthetic leather, and they did so amazingly by shocking potential buyers ‘beating hearts’, ‘bloody skins,’ and ‘gory sinews’. Ironically, the bloody ‘insides’ showcased in the video really are made up of various types of plastic and synthetic material, as per PETA Asia Pacific. To give it that realistic appeal was the most challenging part of executing this campaign, pointed out Srikieatikajohn..

    “The organ mock ups and mechanics was one of the most challenging parts. It doesn’t only need to look real but the mechanic behind also has to be programmed perfectly with the sensor detection to make the organs move when they were exposed to the light (when the bags opened.) This experiment process took up to 12 weeks before we get the perfect fully functioned mock ups running,” he explained.

    “It wasn’t an easy job to set up a show that looked real enough to come shop either. To make it most effective, it had to be at the centre of a tourist shopping district. With budget constraints and a very provoking campaign idea, it was really hard to find the right venue that could support us and agree with the small budget. After 3 to 4 location surveys and contacts, we finally found the one that worked.”

    “It took two months– from showroom design to the full set up. Before we were allowed to rent the store, campaign details and store design were submitted to the landlord for approval,” the creative explained.

    When asked about the people shown in the published video, Srikieatikajohn said, “With the legal issues, some of the footage of real shoppers cannot be used. The people in the Video are a mix of real shoppers and people that we invited to the shop; however they were all unaware of what they would see in the shop while we were filming and we captured their real shocking reactions.”

    The issue with a shocking brand communication is that sometimes people might be overwhelmed by the shock and forget the underlying message. PETA and O&M knew this well, and were patient with how people responded to the campaign and the following video.

    “We did not expect them to understand the message right away so we had a staff approached them right after they found out what’s inside, handed out the brochure and explained the true message behind the campaign,” Srikieatikajohn said.

    “Every year, hundreds of thousands of reptiles are crudely bludgeoned and skinned alive, all for the sake of so-called ‘luxury’ shoes, belts and bags”, says PETA India Chief Executive Officer Poorva Joshipura. “PETA Asia’s gruesome pop-up shop reminds shoppers that the only way to keep blood and guts out of our closets is to choose vegan clothing, shoes and accessories,” she added in parting.

  • Kangana Ranaut crowned PETA’s hottest vegetarian

    Kangana Ranaut crowned PETA’s hottest vegetarian

    MUMBAI: Beating her contemporaries, Kangana Ranaut has been crowned “The Hottest Vegetarian” by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

     

    Visitors to PETAIndia.com cast their votes to help PETA choose the most alluring Vegetarian Vixen this year and Bollywood’s poster girl for fashion took the top honor.

     

    Says PETA India Manager of Media and Celebrity Projects Sachin Bangera, “Bollywood stars are truly shining for animals by choosing to go meat-free, and Kangana’s beauty is proof that a great way to get a killer body and looks is by not eating animals.”

     

    On several occasions Kangana has always been heard propagating the cause of vegetarianism and was even quoted stating, “We must not eat other animals. Besides, vegetarian organic food is far healthier minus all the toxins”.

     

    PETA selected the winners based on several factors, including vote count.

     

    After receiving rave reviews for her performance in Krrish 3, Kangana Ranaut is on a roll with Queen and Revolver Rani both of which see her essay the role of the protagonist.