Los Angeles to Become 4th U.S. City to Ban Fur Sales

Image: Gucci

Law

Los Angeles to Become 4th U.S. City to Ban Fur Sales

Following in the footsteps of the city of West Hollywood, which banned fur in 2011, and Berkley and San Francisco, thereafter, Los Angeles city supervisors “have unanimously approved a ban on fur sales, which will make Los Angeles the largest city in the country to have such ...

September 18, 2018 - By TFL

Los Angeles to Become 4th U.S. City to Ban Fur Sales

Image : Gucci

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Los Angeles to Become 4th U.S. City to Ban Fur Sales

Following in the footsteps of the city of West Hollywood, which banned fur in 2011, and Berkley and San Francisco, thereafter, Los Angeles city supervisors “have unanimously approved a ban on fur sales, which will make Los Angeles the largest city in the country to have such as prohibition in place,” according to a statement from the Humane Society. The animal rights group praised “today’s historic vote in Los Angeles,” which comes just days after Burberry and London Fashion Week, as a whole, announced they would go fur-free.

The move by the West Coast city, the largest in the U.S. to take such a strong stance against fur, is part of a larger movement against fur. Aside from city-specific bands, high fashion houses and up-scale retailers, alike, have been joining to swear off the use of fur. Design houses, including Versace, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Giorgio Armani, Vivienne Westwood and retailers, such as Selfridges and Net-a-Porter, had opted to distance themselves from using fur in their collections in recent seasons.

Los Angeles’ ordinance – which must now be approved by the mayor – will include a two-year phase out period before going into effect. If modeled after the San Francisco ban, it will likely include two small loopholes to allow for “the resale of vintage and used fur, but only by outlets not usually in the business of trading fur, such as secondhand stores, pawn shops and nonprofits.” Secondly, “Items with fur taken from animals trapped under a state license can be sold.”

“As consumers have become more aware of the cruelty behind the fur trade, more and more Americans and people around the world are embracing alternatives. The fur trade kills more than 100 million animals each year, and it does so in the most egregious ways,” said Kitty Block, acting CEO and President of the Humane Society of the United States.

The Humane Society says its work is not over in terms of fur in the fashion industry. According to Block, “There are still some outliers in the fashion world who continue to cling to fur, and one such company is Prada.” Earlier this month, the Humane Society launched a campaign to urge Prada to join its competitors by going fur-free.

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