The results are in for the LVMH campaign and it is clear that CAFT USA has finally found a worthy opponent. At the time this was written there had been 244 protests against LVMH over the past 11 months. By far the most active CAFT campaign.
For nearly 2 years this global coalition has won every campaign with ease. Our campaign development team often overestimated timelines in previous campaigns to the degree that it became a running joke that our campaign team was akin to a TV weather forecaster when it came to predicted timelines.
Let’s take a quick look at how wrong we have been our
previous victories timelines:
Our campaign team seems to have finally got the proper prediction. The good news: this coalition always wins and we have been looking forward to a challenge.
Campaign developments:
- CAFT Europe has joined the campaign with full force. Europe being involved is essential to beating LVMH.
- Dior does not currently have fur. This is not the same as a fur-free policy but their fur items have recently been removed. Are they just waiting to re-stock in the winter! Time will tell. Until they make an official policy, we will be on their doorstep.
- 244 protests in 10 countries. To beat Europe’s largest company (LVMH) we are going to need all hands on deck. Thank you everyone for your hard work.
What we are up against:
LVMH is not your average opponent, they are the most difficult target the anti-fur movement has and will ever have. They are the largest company in Europe, run by the second richest man in the world: Bernard Arnault. Bernard has a long history of ruthless and in some instances downright criminal business practices, earning him the nickname, “The Wolf in Cashmere.” LVMH is neither compassionate or vulnerable. In fact since the launch of our campaign against them their revenue has increased by 20 percent – they are thriving. LVMH is 13 times larger than every prior CAFT campaign target combined.
LVMH’s history of violence and intimidation:
LVMH has been the most violent company we have targeted. Activists have had their lips busted by overly aggressive guards, Dior attempted to frame activists by planting a bag on them and claiming that it was stolen, door handles were ripped off by over zealous guards prying them away from activists. Security has been spotted following and filming activists and there have been a handful of arrests. LVMH has had the most aggressive response out of all our campaigns.
Note: NYC said specifically that Dior tried to frame activists for breaking a door – which they never did. The general feel overall is that LVMH targets are very aggressive to activists.
Fendi:
Fendi is the single biggest reason LVMH will be such a difficult target. They believe in the archaic tradition of fur to a degree that their slogan is “Fendi is fur & fur is Fendi.” They work with organizations like Saga Furs closely – an organization that creates propaganda in favor of the fur industry.
Just last week Fendi CEO Serge Brunschwig and LVMH’s group environmental development director Hélène Valade joined the Vogue Business Summit for a keynote session that highlighted Fendi’s unwillingness to remove fur from their collection.
In May 2022 the son of LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, Antoine Arnault, told Business Insider that the brand does not have plans of going fur-free and that they would be investing in “lab grown fur” while simultaneously staying committed to real fur. Fendi was mentioned in this article as well:
“Our mission is the ethical supply of quality furs to our customers who have chosen freely to wear fur, and we are unwaveringly committed to respecting everyone’s opinion and freedom of choice” – Fendi
Plan of attack:
Beating LVMH is not going to be achieved by brute force, but rather patience and an attention to detail.
Sustainability:
Consistency will win this campaign.
In short-term campaigns the strategy often requires a wave of activist pressure that shocks our opponent into swiftly making a fur-free policy. For LVMH, we are taking the opposite approach. Slow and steady is what will win this campaign. We need organizers minimizing risks of arrest and playing it safe more often than not.
- We anticipate this campaign taking years to win and we will be here until they do.
- Never get arrested intentionally.
- Consistency is key.
Planned Escalations:
Pressure is created in many ways, do not confuse our suggestion for mitigating risks as a commitment to failure. We will beat LVMH. We have a series of landmarks outlined internally that will prompt escalations in strategy.
Tactical escalations for local organizers:
- Increase the frequency of your protests.
- Target special events.
- Keep them guessing and show up unannounced.
- Show up on major shopping holidays such as Black Friday and Super Saturday.
- Organize a phone action against your local LVMH target.
- Do a theatrical stunt and contact the media.
- Community building – grow your team.
Supplementary campaigns:
CAFT has always run complimentary short- and long-term campaigns alongside each other.
We launched the campaign against Zegna Group/Thom Browne on the same day as LVMH. Zegna was picked as a target because they too had an achilles heel that CAFT could exploit. Zegna Group had recently announced that they were finally going to be listed on the NYSE and new investors were flocking to the opportunity. CAFT received an email the morning of their first public financial release in history that firmly proclaimed they meet all of our demands. This is our fastest campaign victory to date.
Keep your eyes peeled for the launch of our next supplementary campaign. It’s just around the corner.
Coordinated actions:
The next global action is November 25th – 27th. The backbone of the animal rights movement is comprised of grassroots organizations in cities around the world taking action for animals.We will beat LVMH and the fur trade as long as we stick together and work smarter, not harder.
A message to LVMH & the fur industry:
The animals imprisoned on fur farms are suffering as we speak. Every day that your brand continues to participate in this outmoded industry you are ensuring that this violence continues.
Not only are you one of the few fashion brands still involved in this cruel trade, you are behind the times socially and politically. 65% of voters support the complete ban of fur in the United States. In January 2023 California will become the first state in the USA to completely ban fur. You are behind the times when it comes to social responsibility. The public is against you.
CAFT has a promise to both LVMH and the fur industry:
Your assault on wildlife will come to an end. There are consequences for your actions and there is no obstacle the anti-fur movement will not overcome to ensure the freedom of fur bearing animals.
A quote that embodies the ethos of this campaign:
“We will travel to the ends of the earth to shut you down” – Lynn Sawyer
Campaigns cost money especially when you are going up against the wealthiest brands on the planet. If you are in a financial position to help, please donate by clicking here. 100 percent of the donations go to program materials and campaign work.