Music

Billie Eilish Convinced A Massive Designer To Stop Selling Fur By Wearing Their Gown To The Met

Imagine having the power to stop Oscar de la Renta's fur sales? Billie's impact!

by Michelle Rennex  14 September 2021
billie eilish met gala fur oscar de la renta

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The Met Gala has finally returned after the pandemic cancelled the annual fashion event last year — and I’m here to say that Billie Eilish looks amazing.

Billie Eilish is well known for her baggy fits, which the singer previously said she wears to keep it “mysterious” to prevent people from judging or sexualising her body.

But for the Met Gala and the theme of ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’, Eilish shied away from the oversized Chanel suits and 5XL t-shirts. Instead, the pop star donned a nude tulle Oscar de la Renta princess gown with a 15-foot train.

While Billie Eilish undoubtedly looks beautiful, the singer’s decision to wear her first-ever designer gown for a red carpet was fuelled by a very important reason: An agreement that Oscar de la Renta would terminate the use of real fur in their future collections.

Even though the brand stopped using fur on the runway years ago, fur products were still regularly being sold in Oscar de la Renta stores with the brand’s CEO, Alex Bolen, sharing that fur made up a “meaningful amount of sales and profit”.

But, as a vegan and animal rights activist who refuses to work with brands that use fur, Eilish informed Oscar de la Renta that she would wear one of their gowns only if they stopped their fur sales — and, amazingly, the brand’s CEO finally agreed.

This is a huge move because, despite pushback from many involved in the company — like from his own wife and executive, Eliza, and Oscar de la Renta’s widow, Annette — over the barbaric practices used to harvest fur, Bolen has been firm on keeping fur in the business. That is until Billie Eilish offered her Met Gala ultimatum.

“I thought a lot about what Oscar said — he was a big fan of fur, by the way — that the one thing he really worried about in the fashion business was his eye getting old,” Bolen told The New York Times, explaining that maybe it was time to start listening to the opinions of younger people.

“I have to surround myself with people with different points of view.”

And as for how Billie Eilish feels about stopping a fashion behemoth like Oscar de la Renta from using fur ever again? Well, she’s just “honored to have been a catalyst and to have been heard on this matter”.

“It’s shocking that wearing fur isn’t completely outlawed at this point in 2021.”

Onya’ Billie!

Photo Credit: Jeff Kravitz /Contributor for Getty Images