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Uh Oh: Real Fur Advertised As "Faux" At Barneys

limcoatparka1210.jpg The Humane Society of the United States has gone on a fur-finding mission and found that a Phillip Lim brand faux fur parka sold online by Barneys New York... is actually made of real animal fur. They tell us "the same coat was sold in their Madison Avenue flagship store without the 'real fur' label required by New York state law." The group is now asking Barneys to become 100% fur-free, like other retailers and designers have done.

The HSUS tested the parka (pictured) in a lab and found out its trim may come from a coyote (Hal?). The organization says that "selling unlabeled real animal fur-trim jackets has been allowed for decades through a loophole in the nearly 60-year-old federal fur labeling law, but a new bill signed on Saturday by President Obama will close this loophole." That will take effect in March and will require all garments made with animal fur to be labeled and include which animal species the fur is from. As for the Barneys parka, it is unlawful to describe the garment as "faux fur" since it does contain real fur, this violation carries a $5,000 fine and possible year in prison.

The NBC crew took a closer look at the $950 jacket, and the store told them they “are investigating the matter with the brand." The brand, however, says they “never claimed the collar was fake” and will look into making their labels clearer (the fabric label on this one made no mention of fur). For now, they're offering a full refund for anyone turned off by the coyote collar.

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Comments [rss]

  • Fake fur is so ugly and obvious, and feels like straw. I am offended whenever I see people wearing a petrochemical knockoff of soft, beautiful, warm animal fur. New York is overrun with these fakes. Faux fur doesn't make you more virtuous, it makes you look silly and cheap.

  • Is using the fur the problem? Since we reduce the population of coyotes by shooting them, why not use the fur rather than leaving it to rot? So, let's not kill the coyotes. Because they kill and eat our pet animals and small children. Very bad manners on the part of the coyotes, right? In some places there is actually a bounty paid for the fur of most animals. I'm sure many do not realize that the meat is also used in many Asian markets. What to do, what to do? Who has the answer?

  • yetanotherdamneduselessaccount

    Break out the paint ball guns! Let's destroy someone else's property!

  • eflash

    people must have been SO MAD to find out the coat is made out of an attractive, comfortable, warm, renewable material!

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