Beyonce accused of animal cruelty

The King Bey shoe on the PMK website

The King Bey shoe on the PMK website

Published Feb 28, 2013

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London - Frankly, they look like a reasonably ordinary pair of white trainers. But try telling that to Beyonce – or animal rights’ campaigners.

For these shoes, commissioned by the singer, are made from no fewer than five different animal skins: stingray, anaconda, ostrich, crocodile and calf.

Fans and animal welfare groups alike condemned Beyonce, 31, as “cruel” and “spoilt” for having the trainers made.

A spokesman for animal charity PETA said: “These custom-made kicks come with a high price – and it’s paid by the various animals who were beaten and skinned alive or cruelly farmed and killed.”

He added: “We hope that one day she’ll go completely cruelty-free.”

Andrew Tyler, director of Animal Aid, described the trainers as “a brazen publicity stunt”.

Many of the singer’s fans agreed. One, Caroline Campbell, wrote on Facebook: “Beyonce has got to be the most spoilt, entitled woman on earth to support the cruelty that went into making them.

“There is nothing luxurious about these monstrosities, just pure cruelty.”

The ‘King Bey’ wedge heel shoes were created for high-end brand PMK by French designer Isabel Marant.

Bey is the singer’s nickname.

PMK has not disclosed the price of the trainers, which were designed to Beyonce’s specifications, but a regular pair of the Marant shoes costs £370 (about R4 800).

The brand previously created a pair of custom-made Nike trainers, called ‘The Brooklyn Zoo’, for her husband, Jay-Z. They contained alligator, python, boa and lizard skin as well as ostrich, crocodile and stingray. - Daily Mail

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