Extinction Rebellion protesters covered in fake blood have glued themselves to an entrance to London Fashion Week.
Pictures posted by the group on Friday morning show activists blocking doors to the trade show venue in The Strand, while others poured buckets of fake blood around the entrance to create a “bleeding red carpet”.
The environmental campaign movement said it was staging the “die-in” to urge the fashion industry to “tell the truth about its contribution to the climate and ecological crisis”.
The protesters, wearing white clothes with red blood stains, were photographed holding hands and carrying flags.
Extinction Rebellion said the protest marked the start of five days of action targeting the fashion industry which had “blood on its hands” due to its environmental record.
A separate protest outside London Fashion Week is planned by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) supporters, who will douse themselves in “toxic slime” to highlight the “leather industry’s planet-poisoning waste”.
Extinction Rebellion activist Sara Arnold, 32, who is the founder of a fashion rental company, said: “Instead of the fashion industry exploiting sustainability to sustain business as usual, it should use its influence and creativity to sustain life on Earth.
“The industry is set to grow by 63% between now and 2030. It is time for it to admit that it has failed to make itself sustainable.
“The fashion industry’s footprint grows season after season. It has now run out of time. We must act now.”
Extinction Rebellion said the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, with a carbon footprint more than that of international flights and shipping combined.
The group added that the industry is set to grow by 63% by 2030, which will lead to “even more destructive emissions”.
Extinction Rebellion said the five days of action targeting the fashion industry will come ahead of an International Rebellion beginning on October 7, which will see cities across the globe call for immediate action on the climate and ecological crisis.
A spokesperson for the event refused to comment.
