Leading Retailer Nordstrom Bans Fur and Exotic Skins
Landmark move makes Nordstrom the first U.S. based retailer to ban exotic animal skins, and now campaigners expect a “ripple effect” with other fashion leaders to follow.
Leading fashion retailer Nordstrom has announced a ban on products that use fur and exotic animal skins, across all its stores and online sales.
As well as animal fur, Nordstrom’s new policy will outlaw products using exotic animal skin, which includes - but is not limited to - the likes of lizards, crocodiles, ostriches, snakes, pythons, alligators, sharks, kangaroos and stingrays.
The move makes Nordstrom the first U.S. based retailer to ban exotic animal skins, according to Kitty Block, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States (HSI).
“This is a pivotal step toward a more humane business model and a safer world for animals, sending a clear message that animals should not suffer for the sake of fashion”, Block adds. “Nordstrom's decision will surely have a ripple effect on other influential fashion leaders."
As part of the global fur trade, more than 100 million animals are killed for their fur every year, including coyote, mink, raccoon dog, and chinchilla. In the exotic animal skin industry, wildlife including snakes, ostriches, and crocodiles, are farmed in their thousands in order to produce ‘luxury’ fashion items like handbags and shoes.
However, with increased awareness of the cruelty involved in farming animals for their skins and fur, the likes of Nordstrom and HSI are helping consumers lead the trend towards faux-fur and animal-free fashion.
"As part of our ongoing product evolution, we've been working with HSI and recently made the decision to stop offering products made with genuine fur or exotic animal skin in any of our stores or online” says Teri Bariquit, chief merchandising officer at Nordstrom. “Our private label brands haven't used these materials for years, so extending this policy to all the brands we carry is a natural next step for our business."
The ban will come into full effect in 2021, and will apply to both Nordstrom’s own brands and outside brands that it carries, like fur-heavy Canada Goose. ln the meantime, Nordstrom says it will be "encouraging those brand partners to re-evaluate their use of fur and exotic animal skins".
Nordstrom’s announcement marks the latest blow to the fading fur industry, with mounting fur bans and falling consumer demand signalling that the end of the fur industry is in sight. Just last week, Poland, the world’s third largest producer of fur, announced a ban on fur farming.
Back in 2019, California became the first US state to ban the sale of fur, and an overwhelming number of fashion designers and retailers have also dropped fur, including Gucci, Versace, and Macy’s. And last month, iconic US brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger became the latest brands to ban exotic skins.
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An estimated two million wild kangaroos are slaughtered every year to produce “k-leather”, which is used in certain models of soccer cleats.