Spice Girl and fashion designer Victoria Beckham's show at Paris Fashion Week hit by animal rights protest

The 49-year-old designer, who found fame in pop group the Spice Girls, showcased her autumn/winter 2024 collection on Friday. The campaigners got up during the show and walked the runway alongside the models while holding up signs saying “viva vegan leather”. Their T-shirts read: “Animals aren’t fabric. Turn your back on animals skins.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said while Beckham’s brand has banned the use of fur and exotic skins, “it still uses a large quantity of cruelly obtained leather, particularly calfskin”. The non-profit organisation said it had also stormed the catwalks of Coach in New York, Burberry in London, and Fendi in Milan this season.

The group's president for Europe, Mimi Bekhechi, said: “No garment or accessory is worth violently slaughtering and skinning a sensitive and intelligent animal. We are urging Victoria Beckham to turn instead to the ethical and eco-friendly innovations available today, such as high-end leather made from apples, grapes, pineapples, mushrooms and more.”

Beckham appeared at the end of the show and blew kisses as she walked the length of the runway on crutches. Her husband, former England footballer David Beckham, revealed in an Instagram story last month that she had had a “little accident in the gym” and shared a photo of her foot in a boot.

Her latest collection, which “reimagines classic silhouettes” and focuses on “effortless yet complex constructions”, comprised a number of suits, dresses and other elegant ensembles. The show opened with a model who wore dark, loose-fitting trousers and a shirt with sleeves separated from the arms. Much of it stayed true to the label’s DNA – a mix of ethereal dresses, sharp tailoring and covetable outerwear.

But this season saw Beckham go down a more avant garde path, with sculptural elements and coats with necklines zipped up almost to models’ noses. A prominent feature was tights, both sheer and white, as well as high-waisted bell bottom trousers – a 70s trend also been seen at Chloe.

Beckham’s shows have been known to attract celebrities and her spring/summer 2023 collection was watched by American socialite Kim Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner. Beckham’s representatives have been approached for comment.