AN Ulverston woman joined a radical topless vegan protest against animal-based clothing at London Fashion Week.

Lydia Smyth, 23, was one of eight female PETA supporters who braved the winter weather and bared their skin with the slogan "wear your own skin" painted across their bodies.

The activists encouraged passers-by to stand up for animals by leaving fur, leather, shearling, and other animal-derived materials out of their wardrobes.

"We were taking a stand and saying that it is 2018 and to be using animal skins in fashion is barbaric and not acceptable," said Miss Smyth.

"We are not putting the onus on anybody exclusively, but we believe that no animal should be used for its skin because that is incredibly cruel.

"A lot of major designers have dropped animal skins which is amazing, but some still use it."

Miss Smyth said that the protest had gone well, and that it had attracted a great deal of attention from the media and from people who were there on the day.

She added: "We were drawing comparison between the way that people treat animals as if they own them and the way that women's bodies are still often treated as though society owns it and dictates what women can wear.

"Bare breasts are only perceived negatively when they are taken into the political sphere. We did that and we painted a very literal statement on ourselves.

"We also want to say that people are wrong when they justify wearing animal skins by saying that it is a by product from other things animals are used for.

"In India, where a lot of leather in this country comes from, cows are reared and killed for their skin. We protest to make people aware of this and to encourage more people to stop wearing animal skins."