Three PETA activists breached the runway during an H&M fashion show in London on Thursday night, holding signs reading, “H&M: Wool is BLOODY Cruel. Drop it!” as models continued walking past them.
The disruption came as H&M unveiled a collaboration with British photographer Nick Knight, a show described by WWD as blending “historical romance, cinematic menswear, and AI-enabled visuals.” Footage circulating on social media showed the protesters walking across the runway while models appeared to pay them no attention.
Security allowed the three activists to leave the runway without physical contact, and the show continued uninterrupted, according to a report by Fashionista. That marks a contrast with a protest the previous week at a New York show for H&M-owned brand COS, where PETA demonstrators reportedly made physical contact during their disruption.
PETA UK’s account on X described the London incident directly: “Not one, not two, but THREE PETA supporters jumped on the runway to expose the suffering behind wool.”
In a press release, the group said the London and New York protests are both part of a wider campaign pressing the H&M Group to drop wool from its collections following a PETA Asia investigation into a NATIVA-certified wool supplier in South Africa that the group says is linked to H&M’s supply chain.
At an earlier protest outside a venue, three PETA activists described as “bloodied and bruised” held what the group called a “dead sheep” alongside a sign reading, “Sheep beaten, kicked and killed for wool,” as attendees arrived.
“How much more evidence showing sheep kicked, struck, and left bleeding in shearing sheds will it take for H&M to take responsibility?” said PETA Vice President Elisa Allen.
Allen added: “H&M must kick wool cruelty off its catwalks and out of its collections, and PETA reminds consumers that choosing vegan clothing is the only way to guarantee that no animals were harmed.”
H&M has not issued a public response to the London protest.
