Store condemned for selling £399 Christmas stocking made with real fur trim
A few weeks after retail giants Macy’s and Bloomingdales announced a firm fur free policy, UK department store Harrods has been criticised for perpetuating the cruel and unnecessary fur trade by selling Christmas stockings made with real fur.
The retailer’s website describes the item, a grey stocking with a fur trim, as “an elegant and sophisticated seasonal accessory courtesy of Harrods….topped off with a sumptuously soft fur detail”.
It is not clear which animal species was killed for this pointless accessory, but all animals killed for the fur trade undergo unacceptable cruelty and suffering just for the fur off their backs. On fur factory farms, wild animals spend their entire lives in wire-bottom cages, deprived of the ability to engage in natural behaviours—only to be killed by gassing or anal-electrocution. In the wild, animals are held in traps, sometimes for days, without food or water until trappers come to retrieve and kill them, often simply by stamping on them.
Country after country has phased out or banned fur factory farming, including the UK, Austria, the Netherlands, Croatia, Slovenia, Norway, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Belgium, North Macedonia, Serbia, Germany, Slovakia – with others set to follow in the coming years.
The state of California legislated in recent weeks to implement a sales bans on real fur, with similar proposals currently being considered in Hawaii and New York City.
In recent years the majority of major fashion houses have gone fur free, including Prada, Gucci and Burberry.
The Queen has also now let it be known that she will no longer wear fur in her new outfits.
Mark Glover, Campaigns Director at Respect for Animals, said:
“At a time when other retailers and designers such as Gucci and Burberry have ended their involvement with the fur trade and the Queen has made it known that she will no longer be wearing real fur on her new outfits, Harrods has really put its foot in it by selling a Christmas stocking trimmed with fur. Fur is an inherently cruel product and, since the UK has banned the main means of fur production, including fur farming, it is hypocritical that its import and sale is still permitted.
The UK should now follow the recent example set by California and ban the sale of real fur. With an election on the horizon, we call on all political parties to include a ban on the sale of real fur in their manifestos.”
The item in question can be viewed at Harrods’ online store here: https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/harrods/fur-detail-stocking-p000000000006420794?bcid=1502363833641
