Chrissie Hynde Bridges The Leather Gap

04/21/2000 7:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(4/21/00, 7 a.m. ET) - Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde and PETA can raise a "V" for victory in their recent war against the Gap clothing chain, wherein they protested the store's purchasing of animal skins on the black market. As a supporter of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), Hynde has spent the last year protesting Gap stores across the country while on tour with her band. Hynde and three other PETA supporters were even arrested last month when protesting at a Manhattan Gap location where they slashed jackets and refused to leave the store.

In a letter sent to PETA by Gap Vice President of Corporate Communications and Global Affairs Alan Marks last Friday, Marks said the Gap would stop buying animal skins from black markets in India. Of the Gap's policy, Marks wrote, "Vendors are prohibited from using leather made from animals in India or China in the production of garments for Gap Inc. Garment factories in India or China producing finished leather goods for Gap Inc. must use imported leather."

The letter also goes on to say "Although Gap Inc. has not attempted to confirm PETA's allegations regarding the leather industry practices in India and China, we have aggressively responded to your organization's concerns in an open, candid and honest manner. The speed at which we have modified our policies and shifted the small quantity of leather sourcing that came from India and China (less than 10 percent) clearly demonstrates our commitment to this matter, and our responsiveness to the concerns of your organization and our customers. As you know, these changes affect leather goods that will be in our stores as early as this fall. I'm confident that PETA will respond with the same courtesy, respect and commitment. As we have discussed (and you have indicated agreement), I expect PETA to remove all references to Gap Inc. and our brand names from its website, publicity materials, and advertising, and that your organization will cease protest activity against our company."

PETA has praised Hynde and said her efforts were instrumental in the success of the anti-leather campaign. Hynde said of the Gap's policy change, "I'm hoping the Gap's next ad will be 'Everybody out of leather,' but this is a great step."

-- Sue Falco, New York