EXPOSED: The truth behind ostrich feathers in fashion

Fashion is one of the industries most responsible for the exploitation of wild animals.

Millions of wild animals are needlessly and horrifically killed every year for the fashion industry’s profit. And while many brands and consumers have moved away from fur, another equally cruel trend has taken its place: feathers.

Most decorative feathers used in fashion come from ostriches. Many people believe that the ostrich feathers used in fashion are obtained without any harm being caused to the animal.

Far from being a gentle process, ostrich feather production relies on intensive farming, painful plucking and cutting, and rough handling, all designed to maximise profit at the birds’ expense.

Yet the fashion industry continues to promote feathers as a ‘cruelty-free’ alternative, with feathers being used by brands and designers that have publicly moved away from fur.

Find out everything you need to know about the reality of ostrich feathers used in fashion, as we expose what really happens to these gentle, social animals on ostrich feather farms.

What is an ostrich feather farm?

In the wild, ostriches travel vast distances with their herd. Their long, powerful legs can help them reach speeds of up to 70 kilometres an hour. But on feather farms, ostriches are confined to barren feedlots and forced into unnatural social structures. They spend their lives trapped behind fences, while their feathers are often plucked or cut to sell to the fashion industry, before they are eventually killed.

Most ostrich feather farms are found in South Africa. In 2024-25, South Africa exported more than 150 tonnes of ostrich feathers around the world, enough to fill 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools. During the same period, 150,000 ostriches were slaughtered in South Africa for their feathers, meat and skin.

Today, the industrial breeding and slaughter of ostriches generates millions of dollars in profit. There are two main types of ostrich farms: those that primarily supply high-quality feathers to luxury fashion brands, and those that produce skins, meat and lower-quality feathers.

Although ostrich feathers are often assumed to be a by-product of the meat and skin trade, they can be the most profitable part of the industry, particularly on farms focused on producing feathers for fashion. The farms we spoke to confirmed that feathers generate the greatest profit, even when they also produce skins and meat.

What are ostrich feathers used for?

Ostrich feathers are increasingly being used across the fashion industry, appearing in collections from big-name luxury brands as well as fast fashion retailers. They can be found on everything from dresses and handbags to shoes and hats.

As fur has become less acceptable, feathers have increasingly stepped in as an alternative. They are often marketed as ‘desirable’ and ‘sophisticated’, but changing the material doesn’t end the suffering of wild animals. Instead, the cruelty is simply shifted onto another innocent wild animal.

Do ostriches lose their feathers naturally?

In the wild, ostriches retain their distinctive feathers throughout the year, which help protect them from cold and harsh weather conditions. Unlike some birds, ostriches do not have a natural moulting season.

Despite this, the fashion industry continues to promote the misconception that ostriches regularly shed their feathers and that feathers used in fashion are simply collected after falling out naturally.

However, a World Animal Protection investigation found it would be impossible for fashion brands to rely on supply from any ‘natural moulting’ to keep up with the scale the industry wants. The demand for ostrich feathers is simply too great. Instead, ostriches endure terrible suffering as their feathers are often either plucked or cut from their skin.

How are ostrich feathers harvested?

Ostrich farms use several cruel methods to remove feathers from the birds: live plucking, feather cutting and plucking after slaughter.

LIVE PLUCKING:

• Live plucking involves pulling feathers directly from the skin of a living ostrich. Often, these feathers are still immature and have not had the chance to grow fully. There is evidence that this practice can be incredibly painful for ostriches.
• Feathers may also be plucked from ostriches after they have been slaughtered.

FEATHER CUTTING:

• Feather cutting involves cutting an ostrich’s feathers above the bloodline. While some farms claim this practice is painless, a World Animal Protection investigation revealed the process is extremely stressful for the ostrich. 
• Footage from a farm in 2026 shows a male ostrich being chased and restrained, before a burlap sack is pulled over his head (this is known as ‘hooding’). Once the ostrich couldn’t move, workers cut and pulled out his long feathers using pliers. 
• Unfortunately, feather cutting can be followed by a second, more painful procedure known as ‘shaft removal’. If left naturally, the remaining feather shaft will eventually fall out on its own. However, to encourage new feathers to grow more quickly, farms may prematurely pull the shaft from the ostrich’s skin. This can be just as painful as live plucking, meaning cutting does not necessarily provide a less painful alternative.

Although many people believe ostriches are not killed for their feathers, there is no system of feather production that does not ultimately result in the birds being killed. As ostriches age and the quality of their feathers declines, or if they become sick, they are often sent to slaughter. Ostriches bred for lower-quality feathers may be killed when they are barely a year old. 

The devastating truth is ostriches are always eventually killed for their feathers.

Cruelty on ostrich feather farms

Ostrich feather production depends on intensive farming practices, painful live feather removal and rough handling. These systems are deliberately designed to maximise profits for ostrich farms.

Ostriches are confined to barren feedlots that are far smaller than the areas they would naturally roam in the wild. These highly social and emotional animals are kept in unnatural herd groups, which can lead to aggression and fighting. Ostriches can suffer injuries from pecking at each other’s eyes and feathers. They may also have little or no access to plants or the foods they would naturally eat, and are instead fed lucerne, which does not adequately meet their nutritional needs.

When an ostrich becomes sick or injured, they may not receive veterinary treatment. Instead, they can be sent to slaughter because doing so is cheaper than providing the care they need. Even inside the truck to the slaughterhouse, ostriches are held upright in slings so they can’t sit down and risk being trampled by the other birds. 

Feathers are increasing on red carpets and runways

Feathers are appearing everywhere in fashion right now, from red carpets at the Met Gala and Oscars to recent collections by Valentino, Chanel and Dior.

Most luxury fashion brands moved away from fur after customers became aware of the horrific cruelty animals experience on fur farms. Yet ostrich feathers are still considered cruelty-free by some, despite the immense suffering ostriches endure on feather farms. Luxury fashion houses have helped fuel the growing trend for feathers, which has now filtered down to fast fashion giants such as Shein.

What fashion brands use ostrich feathers? 

Some major global fashion players are making big profits selling ostrich feathers, despite the cruelty. Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, NET-A-PORTER, Neiman Marcus and REVOLVE all sell garments made with ostrich feathers. Despite our repeated approaches calling for them to do better for animals, these brands all continue to sell feathers with no policy to keep wild animals out of their supply chains.