A fatal, fetal, fashion faux-pas...
Apparently the phrase "compassionate consumer" isn't in the vocabulary of high-end fashion, where "Astrakhan" fur and fur-trimmed products have become all the rage. What is "astrakhan", you ask? Well, as phrased by the Humane Society (HSUS): "What that term means is not exactly clear - it could refer to the fur of newborn Persian or karakul lambs or it could refer to broadtail fur taken from fetal lambs (or generally refer to both) but whatever its exact definition, astrakhan boils down to one thing: early death for lambs, often even death for fetal lambs and their mothers."
The soft, shiny, dark, tightly curled lamb's fur resembles crushed velvet or watered silk, misleading consumers, who are generally unaware of the material's horrific origin. Within days of the lamb's birth, the fur begins to lighten and uncurl, making the youngest pelts the most valuable.
This means pelts are often harvested from unborn fetuses, many times killing the mother, along with her unborn baby, in the process. Those in the industry and trade claim that the pelts are harvested from stillborn fetuses, but a HSUS investigation in 2000(http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/fur_and_trapping/mary_wore_a_little_lamb_an_investigation_into_karakul_lamb_fur/) revealed otherwise, with horrifying abuses witnessed by undercover investigators and documented on videotape. Some of these abuses include farmhands holding down a pregnant ewe, slitting her throat, then slicing open her belly and womb to retrieve the unborn fetus. They were also videotaped harvesting pelts and discarding the tiny carcasses, further nullifying claims that the slaughter is driven by the meat industry.
So what do the companies who profit from this industry have to say about all of this? These are some of the responses I received to my (very polite) letters asking retailers to stop selling Karakul products:
"Saks Fifth Avenue strives to provide a wide array of
merchandise that serves the tastes of our diverse customer
base. We believe that it is the privilege of our clientele to
make personal decisions in this matter."
"As an established retailer of premium apparel and accessories,
it is our responsibility to make available to our customers an
extremely broad selection of merchandise, all of which may
not appeal to every customer's taste."
"Neiman Marcus does not endorse the wearing of fur,
other than simply making it available to those customers
who choose to purchase it."
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