Posts tagged ‘Fur’
Road Kill as “ethical fur” for fashion, but is it?
Who wants to wear Road Kill?
Not I, says me.
Metalsmith/jeweler/taxidermist, Lucy Jenkins, has designed gold-plated bangles with fur which is “sourced” from actual road kill.
Former Rabbit
The Road Kill Range attempts to create a new way of wearing ethical fur for aesthetic purposes.
The use of Road Kill here is an attempt at using “ethical fur” for fashion. But is it? Sure, the animal is already dead. But is that the end of the argument? Ultimately, these animals are (accidentally) killed by human action. Perhaps instead of claiming the jewelry is made from “ethical fur,” the artist could have used the opportunity to express and expose the travesty of the very concept of Road Kill. Some may argue that the artist is doing just that by engraving the animal and road name into the bracelet. I would almost concur if the term “ethical fur” had not been used.
“Ethical fur” is no different than buying a leather jacket at the thrift store. They both promote the idea of wearing animal skins. The goal of veganism is to eliminate the use and abuse of all animals on this planet- not to sanction “humane” or “ethical” practices of inducing death for human purposes.
So, who of you would wear Road Kill, and why? Let’s hear your thoughts.
(Thank you to Caroline for the heads up)
Israel to Ban Fur. Except, not.
Israel is not a huge fur market, for apparently, two reasons- “Jewish faith forbids undue suffering for animals,” and it’s hot in Israel.
Banning fur has the support of the majority of Israelis, but a religious exemption was sought for ultra-orthodox Jews, who wear the shtreimel- a hat of sable fur. This is known as a cultural exemption. Where have I heard this one before…. oh right, everywhere.
The legislation did not pass in the Knesset, for a very logical reason.
Shas MP Chaim Amsellem said that as ultra-orthodox men accounted for 90 per cent of the Israeli fur trade, there was no point in having a ban with a cultural exemption. They want a law that will only affect 10 per cent of the fur trade. There’s no logic in legislating a bill that doesn’t do what it’s supposed to.
I like it. Eliminate the cultural exemption and send it back through. As stated, “Jewish faith forbids undue suffering for animals,” so what’s the hold up? Make the ugly hat out of something else, already.
The faux fur that’s not really
David Goldstein of CBS news and Pierre Grzybowski, a fur expert with the Humane Society of the United States, purchased items at Los Angeles area stores after they were assured the items were indeed faux fur, and not the real thing.
You know what’s going to happen now, right?
At Arden B, a vest for $68 was labeled as “suede faux fur.” A salesperson had confirmed that Arden B does not carry fur containing items. After inspection, Mr. Grzybowski said, “it’s consistent with rabbit or fox that has been dyed. You might think that kind of fur is worth a lot of money. But not these small pieces.”
A $350 jacket at Grasshoppers children’s clothing had faux fur trim according to the salesperson because there was no mention of “fur” on the label. Mr. Grzybowski confirmed it was raccoon dog, raised by the millions in China for slaughter as a fur commodity.
The team also found a Rocawear coat at Burlington Coat Factory that did not mention the raccoon dog fur on its label. A jacket at Bloomingdale’s consisting of either rabbit or fox fur was not labeled as well.
A loophole in federal labeling laws allows the manufacturers to omit the fur labeling. “The loophole is that if the fur is valued at less than $150, there doesn’t have to be any mention on the label that there is animal fur on the jacket,” Grzybowski said.
This is despicable. This is yet another example of our lawmakers creating pointless legislation to dupe consumers and show deference to manufacturing lobbyists for the sake of campaign dollars.
Mr. Grzybowski gives us a tip on how to spot the real from the fake. “You want to push the hairs apart and try to get down to the base of the fabric. If you see skin, that is real fur. On fake fur, if you look closely you see fabric – not skin – at the base of the fur.”
According to Goldstein, the labels and the salespeople can’t be trusted. Sadly, he’s right.
via cbs2.com