PETA birthday gift meant to pressure Sophia Loren to swear off fur

In the United Kingdom, Peta U.K. and sustainable fashion brand Stella McCartney have sent Sophia Loren a biobased fur coat for her 86th birthday—with the hopes that the gift will push the actress and glamor icon to “choose compassion” and swear off animal-based fur fashion.

The coat was made from KOBA, a biobased faux fur developed by ECOPEL.

“The fur trade is far too violent and ugly for someone as beautiful as Sophia Loren,” PETA U.K. Vice President of International Programs Mimi Bekhechi says in a press statement. “We hope this gorgeous gift will inspire her to join the 90% of Italians who, having seen how foxes and other animals are beaten, electrocuted, gassed, and even skinned alive for their fur, are wholeheartedly rejecting the industry.”

PETA also notes that mink farms have been linked to the spread of COVID-19.