Department Store’s ‘Faux Fur’ Coats Actually Came From Racoon Dogs

Department Store’s ‘Faux Fur’ Coats Actually Came From Racoon Dogs


A New York retailer has been busted for selling people fancy Marc Jacobs coats trimmed with luxurious dog fur that was advertised as fake stuff. There appears to be some confusion in the fashion industry concerning what constitutes “fur”.

Most people who actually buy fur probably wouldn’t consider the skinned hide of East Asian raccoon dog “real fur”. That’s the only imaginable reason why department store Century 21 would fail to label so much clothing properly.

The Humane Society bought a bunch of garments from the Century 21 and found that animal hair is frequently being labelled or advertised as fake animal hair. In some cases, Marc Jacobs coats sold online were described as having “faux fur” lining, but it turned out to have labels indicating the lining was “100% Chinese raccoon”. In other cases, items sold in the store were mislabelled and exposed by lab testing.

So, let’s just be clear, guys: If you skin an animal and use it in a garment, that’s fur. [Humane Society via Daily News]


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.