Gucci's Year of Tiger ads slammed by animal rights NGO for 'glorifying' wild animals

share on

twitter /
facebook /
linkedin /
- email
- telegram
- whatsapp
- wechat
- pinterest
- line
- snapchat
- reddit

Gucci has been called out by non-profit animal rights organisation World Animal Protection for "glorifying captive wild animals" in its latest Gucci Tiger collection in celebration of the Year of the Tiger. The luxury brand had released campaign images of models with real tigers superimposed into them. In a Facebook post, Gucci said the tigers were photographed and filmed in a separate and safe environment complying to the brand's policies and then featured within the campaign. Third-party animal welfare organisation, American Humane, was also said to have monitored the set on which animals were present and verified that no animals were harmed.

"In celebration of the holiday, different versions of the animal define a curated selection of ready-to-wear and accessories—highlighting the multifaceted nature of the Gucci universe. Rich with significance for the House, the animal expresses the creative director’s fascination with the beauty of nature," the luxury brand added on its website.

https://www.facebook.com/GUCCI/photos/a.81172311012/10159523306891013/

Nonetheless, the luxury brand was called out by Nick Stewart, World Animal Protection's global head of wildlife campaigns, who said that Gucci is sending the wrong message through its ads - even if it has used digital technology - by portraying tigers as pets and luxury items when they are wild animals who belong in their natural habitats. Steward and the team urged Gucci to "stop glorifying captive wild animals" in its campaigns and issue a statement confirming it recognises tigers belong in the wild. Stewart added:

The Year of Tiger should raise awareness that these incredible animals need respect and protection, not commodification.

He added that more tigers live in captivity than the 3,900 remaining in the wild. According to Stewart, tigers are under serious threat due to their exploitation as "pets" and tourism selfie-props; use in traditional medicine; poaching; habitat destruction and the climate crisis. Whether bred in captivity or captured from the wild, the stress these tigers undergo when forced to pose for photos is immense. He added:

By depicting tigers as mere photo props, Gucci’s fashion campaign encourages consumers to treat them in the same harmful way.

When asked what Gucci could have done better for the campaign, Gilbert Sape, World Animal Protection's head of wildlife campaigns, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that many other high fashion brands, including Prada, Dior and Bottega Veneta have released Year of the Tiger collections that do not exploit this intelligent, endangered animal. "These brands have shown that the Lunar New Year theme can be communicated without cruelty to wildlife by instead using artist and influencer collaborations, and art installations," he added.

Prada, for example, is combining its "Action in the Year of the Tiger" campaign with an art project in the hopes of safeguarding the animal. According to Prada, the art project invites creative talents who are aged 30 and below in art schools in China (and beyond) to present a personal interpretation of the tiger. The luxury fashion house will also be making a donation to the China Green Foundation's "Walking With Tiger and Leopard” programme to drum up awareness for the wildlife and biodiversity in China.

Meanwhile, Dior's artistic director Kim Jones worked with American artist Kenny Scharf to create The Water Tiger motif which is transformed into prints, embroidery, and patches. These will appear on shirts, knitwear, denim pants and down jackets in red, white, and blue.

According to Sape, the non-profit organisation believes the fashion industry can play a positive role in ending the exploitation of wild animals, adding:

Brands that wish to show images of real tigers in their campaigns should show them in the wild, where they belong, and in no direct interaction with humans.

"Like many other fashion brands have done as part of their Year of the Tiger campaigns, Gucci has committed funds to protect endangered species and its natural habitats – but now it must also reflect this across its business practices," Sape added.

When contacted by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Gucci reiterated the statement made on its Facebook. It also added that nature, wildlife and its denizens are particularly important to the luxury brand, which, since 2018, has been totally carbon neutral across the whole supply chain.

In February 2020, Gucci joined The Lion’s Share Fund, a unique initiative raising much-needed funds to protect endangered species and their natural habitats. "Gucci’s support and ongoing contributions are driving tangible on the ground results for this urgent cause," the luxury brand said.

The Lion's Share was launched on 27 September 2018 and co-founded by FINCH, an Australian production company, and the United Nations Development Programme. It is joined by Mars, BBDO, and Nielsen. According to its website, The Lion's Share Fund is creating a new source of funding to secure wildlife populations and their habitats, improve animal welfare, and raise awareness of the nature crisis. The Lion’s Share aims to raise over US$100 million per year over the next five years by asking brands to contribute 0.5% of their media spend whenever an animal is featured in their adverts.

Meanwhile, animal welfare organisation American Humane which Gucci worked with to ensure no animals were harmed was previously embroiled in a scandal over the mismanagement of animals on production sets. The Hollywood Reporter reported in 2013 that 27 animals allegedly died from dehydration and exhaustion or from drowning during a hiatus in the filming of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The filming of animals was carried out at an "unmonitored New Zealand farm" where the animals were being kept and trained, THR reported.

THR added that American Humane's management refused to investigate the matter despite having assigned a representative to the production. This was one of the few incidents reported by THR. The others included a bengal tiger nearly drowning during the filming of Ang Lee's Life of Pi in 2011.