Stop Endangering Animals by Dressing Up Like Them
They’re Not Wearing You… So Why Are You Wearing Them?
Let’s Not Start with Blood
When I first read the PETA brief, I knew I didn’t want to lead with horror. I wanted to lead with irony. The kind that sneaks up on you. The kind that makes someone laugh, and then question everything.
The brief called on creatives worldwide to bring attention to PETA’s “Animals Used for Clothing” campaign. I answered with satire, surrealism, and a tailored blazer on a duck.
When the Cow Wears the Coat
What happens when the narrative flips?
Instead of humans wearing animals, I imagined animals dressed to the nines, in suits, sipping wine, styled like they just walked off a GQ shoot. It’s playful. Absurd. And immediately unsettling.
“I don’t wear what you wear.
Stop wearing what I wear.”
That became the campaign’s core: a single line that lands like a punchline, with an aftertaste.
Lead Designer, Ringmaster of the Ridiculous
I led this campaign from the first sketch to final delivery.
That meant developing the concept, directing the tone, and executing each visual by hand, layer by layer.
Animal selection based on species exploited in fashion
Fashion styling pulled from vintage tailoring references
Photomontage work to blend realism with satire
Typography and layout built for print and editorial distribution
It wasn’t just about designing ads, it was about choreographing a visual sleight of hand. Getting the viewer to look, laugh… and then stop.
Compositing Suits on Ducks Isn’t Funny… Until It Is
Each visual was digitally composed from scratch. I sourced high-res images, built lighting consistency, and masked each animal head with precision. The goal wasn’t realism, it was believability.
These creatures weren’t costumes. They had posture. Attitude. Even opinions.
They weren’t props. They were protagonists
No Guilt Trips, Just Gut Checks
The most powerful thing about this campaign wasn’t the humor. It was what came after. That split second when the viewer realized:
“Oh. I do wear them.”
This wasn’t shock-value activism. It was design as a quiet confrontation.
Shortlisted.
Side-Eyed.
Shared.
This campaign was shortlisted by The One Club for Creativity, Young Ones 2023, and praised for both concept and execution. But the real win? Watching people laugh, and then look again.
What I Learned From a Well-Dressed Cow
This project reminded me that good design doesn’t always scream. Sometimes it whispers something so absurd you can’t stop thinking about it.
I learned that satire can be a strategy. That clever can still carry weight.
That asking a better question is sometimes more effective than forcing an answer.
