Billie Eilish wins Peta’s ‘Person of the Year’ 2021

The vegan singer-songwriter, 19, is the youngest winner of Peta’s Person of the Year award which she received for “championing animal rights and never staying silent about injustice”.

Peta praised Eilish for “using her influence to push the fashion industry to recognise that cruelty is never in style” after she forced designer Oscar de la Renta to stop using fur.

Eilish, who has been vegan since the age of 12, agreed to partner with the brand wearing a custom silk-free gown to the Met Gala only if they agreed to ban fur, which it did.

The No Time To Die singer told Peta: “I find it shocking that wearing fur isn’t completely outlawed at this point in 2021.

“I am so beyond thrilled that … the Oscar de la Renta team heard me on this issue and have made a change that not only makes an impact for the greater good for animals but also for our planet and environment, too.”

As a Met Gala co-chair, Eilish also introduced exclusively vegan meals for the first time at the high profile star-studded event.

Ahead of Thanksgiving, Eilish used her influence of more than 96 million followers to encourage her fans to embrace going vegan, adding that “turkeys are some of the most gentle creatures in the world”.

The Grammy Winner also launched a vegan leather Air Jordan shoe collection with Nike and her first perfume which contains no animal-derived ingredients and is not tested on animals.

She joins past winners of the annual award including Joaquin Phoenix, Carrie Johnson, Lewis Hamilton, Pamela Anderson, Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey and the late Sir Roger Moore.

Peta founder Ingrid Newkirk said: “Billie Eilish is making sure that the party’s over for meaty, milky meals as well as for leather, fur, and silk.

“Peta is happier than ever to celebrate her for seizing every opportunity to point out that vegan fashion and foods are kinder to the animals and the planet we share with them.”