Mumbai: Screaming in terror as she's “skinned alive”, actor Adah Sharma is reminding everyone that “Leather Is a Rip-Off” and that “Your Leather Jacket Was Someone” – ahead of Fashion Day (21 August). The star – who first burst onto the scene with a debut performance in the horror film 1920 and starred in the hit film The Kerala Story and numerous others – has teamed up with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in a new campaign to call attention to the suffering of the more than 1.4 billion cows, sheep, and goats and millions of other animals killed every year for the toxic leather industry and to urge shoppers to steer clear of the violently obtained material.
“Sensitive cows, buffaloes, snakes, and crocodiles feel the same pain and fear that we do but are forced to endure tremendous suffering just to be killed for leather bags and shoes that can be made from vegan leather instead,” says Sharma. “My friends at PETA India and I are urging everyone to keep the horrors of the slaughterhouse out of their closets by opting for vegan fashion. You can look killer without killing animals.
” Animals used for leather in India are often crammed into vehicles so tightly that many are injured or die on the way to a slaughterhouse. If they survive the journey, their throats are cut in full view of other animals. Leather production also destroys the planet, as turning animals' skin into leather requires massive amounts of toxic chemicals and runoff f.