Fur protesters hijack catwalk

Fur protesters hijack catwalk

Anti-fur protesters on the catwalk

The first showing of Welsh designer Julien Macdonald's winter collection at the London Fashion Show was hijacked by anti-fur protesters who stormed the catwalk.

Merthyr Tydfil-born Macdonald's designs for this year's winter collection - called Temptation - were made up mainly of leather and fur, which angered animal rights activists.

But following the show, the 30-year-old designer laughed off the efforts of the campaigners and said his fur jackets and coats were all rabbit and by-products of the meat industry.

"None of the animals were raised for their fur, so the protest was a bit of a waste of their time," he said.

However, Sean Gifford from the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) pressure group said: "That is just ridiculous.

Julien Macdonald defended the use of fur

"In the 21st century, people can chose to be cruel or kind and Julien Macdonald does not need to design with any animal skin whatsoever," he added.

The three protesters, who were all members of Peta, were ejected from the show at the Round House in Camden Town in north London.

Speaking about his collection, Macdonald said: "It was inspired by sex and glamour.

"It is for the woman who like to dress up and aren't afraid to look sexy," he added.

His audience was made up of a number of Welsh stars, including Charlotte Church who attended with her boyfriend Steven Johnson.

Charlotte Church: "Completley glam"

The teenage singer said that she loved his "completely glam" designs.

"Mind you, they are all a bit risqué for me, but I love looking at them," said Ms Church.

Tom Jones, who is set to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Brit Awards on Thursday night, and Dame Shirley Bassey, were also in the audience.

"I love him because he is Welsh and stylish and because he gave me these shoes," said Ms Bassey.

Other stars at the show included BBC Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox, and American pop stars Pink and Christine Aguilera.