Brad Pitt’s cashmere business slammed by PETA for responsibly sourced claim: ‘Misleading marketing’
Brad Pitt has really gotten PETA’s goat.
The animal rights group called out the Hollywood star’s luxury clothing company for “misleading marketing claims” about its cashmere products — which sell for as much as $3,480 — being “responsibly sourced,” The Post has learned.
The “Inglourious Basterds” actor’s company, God’s True Cashmere, claims on its website that all garments made from the precious wool — which comes from a specific breed of goat — is “lovingly crafted for your well-being and theirs.
“Despite GTC’s representations, cashmere cannot be ‘crafted for their well-being,’” PETA railed in a letter to the company obtained by The Post.
It has threatened to file a false advertising complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by Aug. 1 if Pitt and the California-based company’s co-founder, Sat Hari, dont remove the “responsibly sourced” labeling from its website, according to the July 22 letter.
There is no such thing as responsibly sourced cashmere, the missive added.
God’s True Cashmere sells garments that include $380 beanie hats, $590 pillows, $1,980 shirts, $2,350 hoodies and a $3,480 blanket.
Our 100% Italian cashmere garments are made with every element of our product cycle in mind, from the goats themselves to our suppliers and manufacturers, each piece lovingly crafted for your well-being and theirs, the clothing company’s website states.
The animal rights group contends the wool fibers, which come from the undercoat of cashmere goats, is produced at the expense of severe pain to the animals.
In its letter, PETA cited its 2023 cashmere expose which found that goats are pinned down and scream as workers ripped their hair out with sharp metal combs, leaving some with bleeding wounds and tearing off pieces of their skin.
While PETAs investigation took place at facilities in Mongolia that provide wool to some of the biggest fashion houses, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada, it claims that these brutal tactics are typical for goat farms throughout the industry.
The farms typically kill the goats when they are no longer profitable, PETAs investigation found.
PETA did not provide evidence that GTC’s operations are guilty of these practices.
However, it reached out to Gods True Cashmere a year ago, asking it to stop selling cashmere.
The company did not initially respond, according to a PETA spokesperson.
After another round of emails, Hari tweaked some of the marketing verbiage but did not remove a statement about the companys fibers being sourced from manufacturers that are Responsible Wool Standard certified and therefore responsibly sourced.
The company said in a statement that “God’s True Cashmere aspires to establish and inspire the highest industry standards in the development and production of our products — constantly evaluating and researching how to maximize quality while minimizing any adverse impact on the world, which is why it is disappointing to be inappropriately and inaccurately singled out here.”
“We recognize that different organizations, individuals and businesses have different priorities and we
welcome being a part of the conversation about implementing more uniform standards and best
practices, and considering all feedback about how we can be most effective.
Our first priority will always be respecting our planet and all its creatures.
Pitt and Hari, a jewelry designer and personal friend of the actor, did not directly respond for comment.
Their partnership is born out of dream Hari had to create something soft for Pitt.
I began to realize this gift of softness was an important one, she writes in the “our story” section of the company’s website.