Last year, Jeff Rossen of Rossen Reports ( the Today Show ) revealed through his investigation that major retailers such as Nordstrom, Neimus Marcus, and Belk have sold items that were made with real fur and not faux fur as labeled or marketed.
Nearly 100 million people are against real fur. Faux fur has become the new trend. With the colder temperatures hitting part of the nation, both men and women may be looking to buy a new coat or could be already in possession of a coat containing real fur and not know it.
The Rossen Reports team purchased jackets, a sweater and boots, with designer names such as Michael Kors, Aquatalia, Jacadi and Cluny. The items were sent to Microtrace, a laboratory in Chicago that specializes in microscopy and microanalysis. There a team of scientists tested samples of the hairs on each item using powerful microscopes. Five items contained real animal fur.
“One of the items the Rossen team purchased was a Cluny sweater from Nordstrom Rack advertised online as a “faux fur trim silk bamboo blend sweater.” It’s actually rabbit fur that’s been dyed,” Dr. Chris Palenik said.
A Michael Kors coat (purchased from Belk, a large department store chain in the South), was also advertised online as having a “tailored faux fur collar.” But the tag on the coat that arrived in the mail said real animal fur which contained real animal fur from a coyote.
A former guest on my television show, Pierre Gryzbowski, who runs the fur-free campaign of the Humane Society of the United States stated, “We’re talking products made from animals who probably suffered, and certainly died, for a product that is not even what the customer wanted.” “It’s outrageous.”
Why use real fur and say it’s fake? “Some of the good faux furs can be more expensive to use when making jackets or other garments than low-quality animal fur,” Gryzbowski explained. “They may use animal fur just because it’s cheaper.”
When Grybowski was my guest, he visited the local Burlington coat factory store which the label stated was not real fur. That proved to be false. He showcased the items on my show.
How to tell if the fur is real or fake. Here is a list of things you to check to help you to know the difference.
The Feel Test:Feel the difference by rolling the hairs between the finger and thumb.
Genuine Fur: Feels smooth and soft, easily rolls between the fingers.
Fake Fur: Feels coarse.
The Look Test:
Blow on the hairs so that they divide, and look at the base.
Genuine Fur: Often made up of several layers of thin, almost curly hairs that form a dense under-wool through which the longer hairs stick out. The hairs remain attached to the leather (skin).
Fake Fur: Simpler in structure, individual hairs are often the same length and are even in color.
The Pin Test:
Drive a pin through the base where the fur is attached.
Genuine Fur: The leather resists; pin is hard to push through.
Fake Fur: Pin goes easily through the base.
The Burn Test:
Carefully pull a few hairs from the fur and hold them to a flame.
Genuine Fur: Singes and smells like human hair.
Fake Fur: Melts and smells like burnt plastic and forms small plastic balls at the ends that feel hard between the finger and thumb.
Adapted from the Fur Free Alliance, of which Born Free USA is a member. (Note: Born Free USA does not recommend conducting the pin or burn test in stores!)
Is it real or fake? Can you tell the difference?
50 million animals are killed for their fur worldwide every year. Approximately 74% of that fur comes from fur farms. Animals used for their fur are mink, rabbits, raccoon dogs, foxes, dogs, cats and more. Their entire lives are spent living in tiny cages until they are brutally killed.
This number does not include rabbits as accurate figures on the number of rabbits slaughtered annually are hard to come by, but it is estimated that yearly more than a billion rabbits are killed for their pelts. In France alone, 70 million rabbits are killed every year for their fur according to Last Chance for Animals.
In 2009, there were approximately 300 fur farms in the United States. Wisconsin has the most farms (71), followed by Utah (65), Oregon, Minnesota, and Idaho. In 2011 over 3 million mink were killed for their pelts in the U.S, all in the name of fashion. In Wisconsin, farmers killed and skinned 1,050,580 mink, while Utah murdered 698,960, up 9% from 2010.
Raccoon dogs who aren’t raccoons can be found in China where they are savagely skinned alive for their fur.
China doesn’t use anal or vaginal electrocution to kill the animals. Instead, they will pick up a dog by its hind legs and slam their heads against the ground. Bullets damage the pelts. Electrocution and gassing are considered too expensive.
When or if you think of buying a fur, picture the animals being tortured during their short lives and while they are slowly being killed so you can wear their fur on your body.
Furs belong on animals, not us!
Have a story, please email me at tevangelistaepp@yahoo. Like my tv page at https://www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookAtAnimalWelfareIssues.
Good informative article. I didn’t know how to tell the difference between the two. I’ve wanted to get one of those furry vests that are all the rage right now. I’m going to check first to see if any real fur was used. I’ll let you know.
I am very against wearing fur. I am clueless to why celebrities think it’s cool to wear them. It makes them appear uneducated and uniformed and simply don’t care about animals. It’s heartbreaking knowing how the animals suffer so people can wear their fur. It’s a travesty. 🙁
This is why I won’t wear any clothes with real or fake fur.
Why not fake fur i totally understand why not real fur but why won’t you put on fake fur
Real men and women don’t wear fur.
I don’t know how anyone could wear fur if they knew or saw how the animals are killed for it. I see celebrities wearing fur and they think it makes them look extravagant when in reality they look stupid and gross.
you are awesome!
Why not fake fur i totally understand why not real fur but why won’t you put on fake fur