Woof
That fur trim on your jacket that you think is fake? Tell it to Fido. An animal advocacy group says its investigation has turned up coats, some with designer labels, with fur from man's best friend.
According to an article by Kasie Hunt for the Associated Press, the Humane Society of the United States said it purchased coats from reputable outlets, such as upscale Nordstrom, with designer labels Andrew Marc and Tommy Hilfiger, for example, and found them trimmed with fur from domestic dogs, even though the fur was advertised as fake.
"It's an industrywide deception," said Kristin Leppert, the head of the Human Society's anti-fur campaign.
Andrew Marc jacket
The investigation began after the society got a tip from a consumer who bought a coat with trim labeled as faux fur that felt real. Leppert and her team began buying coats from popular retailers and then had the coats tested.
Three coats from Tommy Hilfiger's Web site ShopTommy.com, Nordstrom.com and a coat from Andrew Marc's MARC New York line sold on Bluefly.com contained fur from domesticated dogs. The others had fur from raccoon dogs a canine species native to Asia. The single correctly labeled coat was trimmed with coyote fur, but it was advertised as fake. Most of the fur came from China.
Asian Racoon Dog
In response to the Humane Society's investigation, Tommy Hilfiger stopped selling the fur-trimmed garment and said it was looking into the matter. "We were quite concerned to hear of this finding," said spokeswoman Wendi Kopsick.
Importing domestic dog and cat fur was outlawed in 2000. Intentionally importing and selling dog fur is a federal crime punishable by a $10,000 fine for each violation. Michael Markarian, executive vice president of the Humane Society, said his group had contacted all the retailers and designers selling mislabeled coats or coats with dog fur.
Michael Kors jacket
Other retailers the Humane Society said sold mislabeled raccoon dog fur included Lord & Taylor, BergdorfGoodman.com and Neiman Marcus.com. Designers whose clothes were mismarked included Donna Karan's DKNY and Michael Kors.
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