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The faux lies exposed
By Andrew Olejnik
Scratching off a label is still lying to consumers and is unfair to them as many of them are not aware of the real material used.
Everyone knows the story of 101 Dalmatians. In the story, there is this evil woman named Cruella De Vil. The fictional characters favorite hobby is to make coats out of dogs using their fur.
This idea is ridiculous, even for a fairy tale. Nobody would really want to wear a coat made with hair from a dog.
Or would they?
Some prominent designer clothing companies actually use dog fur to complete the hood design on their coats.
And they lie to consumers about it. They mislabel their products by labeling the tags and say they are made with faux material. This is material artificially produced to resemble fur using synthetic materials.
However, the material actually used comes from a dog. Raccoon dogs are bred in large numbers to supply the faux fur. The dogs are small animals; they have fur like a raccoon and are otherwise only found in the wild. Using this fur has become very popular for American companies that receive material from China, and some even produce the coats there.
This is a fact proven through an investigation by the Humane Society of the United States, which tested a large number of coats from a number of retail merchants. These are all familiar brands to us such as Nordstrom, Andrew Marc, Sean John and Tommy Hilfiger.
These coats can also be easily bought at local retailers and on Web sites such as ShopTommy.com, Nordstrom.com and Bluefly.com
Many companies since the original report was published nationally have taken these products off their shelves.
Sean Puffy Combs, music artist and founder of the clothing label Sean John, has gone public to apologize about his coats.
Jay-Zs Rocawear clothing line has been labeled a complete fraud for using the description faux fur on its Web site.
And some retailers did the unthinkable after hearing the reports. According to Fox News, JCPenny removed its stock of these coats near Christmas but re-shelved them later after having employees scratch the labeling on the tags.
Scratching off a label is still lying to consumers and is unfair to them as many of them are not aware of the real material used.
While many companies responded and apologized, some believe they have done nothing wrong. They think this material is acceptable because other wild animals, such as rabbits, are commonly and knowingly used by the fur industry.
Since raccoon dogs are not domesticated and are not found in many peoples homes, Chinese suppliers and others claim it is OK.
This defense also allows suppliers and clothing companies to avoid a law against importing domestic dog and cat fur.
The law, in 2000, made intentionally importing and selling dog fur a federal crime punishable by a $10,000 fine for each violation.
A dog is still a dog whether or not the animal is compatible with humans or not. There is not a physical difference.
This design would be less popular if consumers knew what the real material really was. But many of us own these coats and dont even know the fur one the coat is from dog.
The trading restriction should be expanded to include all members of the canine family, not just domestic animals.
Many people are just as angry as I am. As a result many companies have taken Combs route and nationally apologized to the public. Some even gave refunds.
What is confusing is the fact that designers usually know their designs in and out. They study the material and produce a product that best fits the material used. Meaning some of these people were conscious the fur they used comes from a dog.
However, all the companies involved argue otherwise and dispute the claim that the material was used on their product knowingly.
Hopefully, now that they know they will stop using phony suppliers and use ones they can trust.
The Chinese industry that provides these furs and mislabels them as faux should be held accountable.
A dog is a dog, whether in the wild or held captive. They are still all members of the canine family. Using dog fur in American products is a complete u-turn for a culture that dreads the idea of using such material.
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