If ethical fashion is one road to take for a budding designer, then Emma Watson is basically walking in almost the opposite direction. There’s reason to hope, as I’ll explaing in a second, but first the bad news.

Watson, who plays Hermione in the Harry Potter series, is fronting the Fall advertising campaign for fashion house Burberry. As some of our readers know, Burberry does not have the most stellar credentials when it comes to animals. PETA even has an online game called “Bloody Burberry” where you run around a Burberry store spray painting fur coats and other tasks. Thankfully, Watson’s photoshoot does not contain any fur, but she’s still fronting for a company that still refuses to go with a faux alternative.

Meanwhile, the 19-year-old actress has also announced that she’s creating a new clothing line for teenagers — with all of the profits going towards children’s charity UNICEF. That’s fantastic news, but it comes with a bit of trepidation. Apparently, Watson has been getting design advice from Karl Lagerfeld; the same guy labelled by PETA as a “fashion dinosaur who is as out of step as his furs are out of style.”

Now, obviously, we don’t expect Watson to start designing t-shirts with fur lining, but for someone who takes the environment seriously, we also hope she’ll consider more ethical realms of the fashion world — and steer clear of advice from those who continue to dabble in cruelty. That charitable clothing line definitely gives us hope!

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About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

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