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Palace Guards Meet Haute Couture
September 01, 2008 12:55 PM
Eliza Browning, ABC News, London
The Guards at Buckingham Palace are not camera-shy; they’re used to being photographed by the millions of tourists who visit the palace gates each year. But donning designer duds could be surprising for even the sternest of the notoriously staid soldiers.
The Guards may soon be trading in their traditional bearskin hats for synthetic versions created by chic designers like Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood.
The bearskin hats, which have crowned the tops of the guards’ classic red uniforms for nearly 200 years, have sparked countless protests from animal rights’ activists. And now, British army leaders are listening.
This week, representatives from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will have a private meeting with senior officials at the Ministry of Defense to urge them to consider synthetic versions of the guards’ hats.
British designer Stella McCartney and American designer Marc Bouwer have both agreed to create the new caps if the Ministry of Defense agrees to proceed with the plans. PETA has contacted British designer Vivienne Westwood to create an “innovative design” as well.
“This is a campaign that’s been running for four year and now it’s escalated,” said Alexia Weeks, a spokesperson for PETA in the United Kingdom.
In 2006, PETA staged a demonstration with more than 60 naked protestors in London’s Parliament Square calling on Queen Elizabeth and the Ministry of Defense to replace the bearskin hats. Other protestors have dressed up as bears and followed members of the Royal Family around the world.
Weeks told ABCNews.com that she is optimistic that the Ministry of Defense will now buy into the idea. And the fact that more than 200 members of the British parliament recently signed a petition saying the ornamental caps serve no military purpose and are not even bullet-proof, may also help PETA’s cause.
Each 18-inch hat requires the entire skin of a black bear to make, according to a report in The Independent. PETA’s website claims that the bears used to make the hats are hunted in Canada, draining the population of black bears in North America.
The five regiments of the guards need between 50 and 100 new caps each year, according to The Independent. In March, it was reported that the army has spent more than $600,000 on bearskins in the past five years.
But this is not the first time the army has considered replacing the hats with synthetic fabric.
“There have been a few trials on them, but nothing has come forward yet that has withstood weather conditions and has met our standards,” a Ministry of Defense spokesperson told ABCNews.com.
“The Ministry of Defense is not opposed to the use of synthetic materials as an alternative to bearskins, provided such materials meet the requirement for a high quality product that performs adequately in all weather conditions. Regrettably, a suitable alternative continues to prove elusive.”
Last week comedian Ricky Gervais wrote a letter on behalf of PETA to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urging him to stop commissioning Canadian black bear hats for the guards.
"I understand and appreciate the importance of uniforms, but continuing to use real fur in the 21st century is inexcusable, regardless of tradition," Gervais wrote, according to a statement released by PETA.
Gervais is one of many celebrities, including Pamela Anderson, Jeff Beck and “Golden Girl” Bea Arthur, who has supported the campaign to replace the hats with more humane models.
Bouwer, whose clients include Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker, said in a statement that he would be “delighted to take on this challenge.”
“I can't imagine a more distinct honor than to be asked to redesign the Royal Guard's bearskin hats with the luxurious faux fur I have used in my collections,” he said in a statement.
"England holds a special place in my heart, so I would be delighted to take on this challenge and am confident the outcome would be a wonderful hat that carried on the Guard’s tradition, but in a modern way that doesn’t involve the taking of bears’ lives.”
During the private meeting, The Independent reports that the British Army officials responsible for army equipment will be shown undercover video footage of bears being baited, shot and skinned by Canadian hunters.
The distinctive hats were first worn by British soldiers in 1815 after they defeated the French Grenadier Guards at the battle of Waterloo. The French soldiers originally wore the bearskin hats, but the British adopted them as a symbol of victory and now they are worn in ceremonial duties and to guard the royal palaces.
September 1, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (6)
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This is just silly. It is far more eco-friendly to use bearskin (renewable) than synthetic materials that must be manufactured and which contribute far more toxins to the environment and non-biodegradeable waste to the planet than natural materials like bearskin!
Posted by: scientist | Sep 1, 2008 1:46:14 PM
scientist: The article makes it clear it's not about eco-friendliness (which is always debatable either way) - it's about animal welfare.
Posted by: Mark Jonnisun | Sep 1, 2008 3:57:42 PM
All of this coming from PETA - who're responsible for the wholesale slaughter of thousands - if not millions buy now - of dogs (in particular), while being funded to find them homes.
Animal welfare indeed.
Posted by: JAE | Sep 1, 2008 5:19:42 PM
If they can't do without the real bearskins, have someone grow the skins complete with fur in a lab, that way we'll avoid the nasty collaterals like killing bears for their skin and producing synthetics that will polute the environment!
Posted by: Ernest van DerDyke | Sep 1, 2008 7:35:48 PM
I'm not a supporter of PETA, but killing 50-100 black bears every year for their skin alone does seem like a waste. Maybe if they used cow hides it would be different, but the rest of the bear is probably thrown away.
Posted by: Bob | Sep 2, 2008 12:17:49 AM
The black bears are becoming like white tail deer. They are moving back to places they haven't been for years in North America. Military tradition means a great deal to veterans and active personnel. Its remembering what those before you did and honoring their actions. Of course civilians can't understand that because they never served their country in the military. Lets waste our time and money worrying about an animal when people are being slaughtered around the world because of the religion they believe in. We can't kill a bear for its skin but it's alright to enslave people in diamond mines, enslave people in sweat shops, enslave people for their political beliefs or enslave people for countless other reasons. Yeah, let's worry about the poor black bear becoming a hat.
Posted by: Joseph Gutierrez | Sep 3, 2008 6:09:50 AM
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