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Real of Fake?
By Eliza Bicknell of Lotus Petal Yoga
The fur industry is in decline and has been since the 1980's when public pressure due to personal ethics caused top designers such as Tommy Hilfiger, J. Crew, Ann Taylor, Jacob, Roots, Burton, Janice Dickinson, Nicole Miller, and Ralph Lauren to stop using fur. 80% of fur farms in the United States have been shut down. Recently however, a new practice in China is surfacing - using fur from animals such as mink, fox, coyote, beaver and most commonly, raccoon, cats and dogs and then misleading the public by incorrectly labeling this fur as fake. In China, it is more cost effective to make products in this manner, mostly using cats and dogs, than it is to make synthetic fur. Stray raccoons, cats and dogs are raised in tiny cages their entire lives or simply round up, their heads are bashed into the ground to kill them or they are simply beaten until they are too weak to move and skinned alive. This method is cheaper and easier than the usual anal or vaginal electrocution or gassing performed in fur farms in other countries. Investigators have well documented evidence of these practices. If you would like to learn more about this and view actual footage of a very disturbing video on this topic, please visit http://www.squidoo.com/chinese-fur-farms The Humane Society of The United States has conducted numerous investigations into product labeling and discovered through laboratory testing that items labeled as faux or ‘ecological fur’ were actually trimmed with real animal fur. Brand names such as Burberry, Preston & York, Aqua and Adam and Eve to name a few sold at high end stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor and Dillards. If that isn’t bad enough, children’s clothing and toys are also being made and sold with real animal fur and labeled as fake. Some items are also made with a mixture of real and fake fur.
With some awareness, you can tell the difference between fake and real fur without the benefit of an accurate label. - First feel the fur. Real fur will feel soft and fine, fake fur feels coarse. Roll the fur between your fingers and real fur will roll smoothly. When you blow on it it will also separate and you will see layers of soft woolly fur through which the longer hairs come through. Fake fur is just one layer of hairs. - Check the backing. The backing will be leather. It is difficult to push a pin through this leather. If a pin goes through easily it is probably fake. - If you burn a few hairs, real fur will singe like human hair and smell singed. Fake fur will melt and smell like burning plastic. It will also form into small balls at the end. Real fur is no longer an expensive item. Rabbit, dog, cat and raccoon pelts can be purchased for as low as 1 to 6 dollars a piece, therefore don’t assume it’s fake just because it’s cheap.
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http://www.squidoo.com/chinese-fur-farms
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Thanks Eliza. Dogs and cats... Makes you sick, doesn't it.
Thank you for sharing this very upsetting advise, Eliza. When are we going to learn that trade isn't monitored properly. If an American company did this, it would be run out of business. (As well it should). Why don't we refuse to trade with foreign companies that produce unfit products. Are our American distributors also at fault?
Best wishes.
Frederick
Thanks for publishing this. Not that I am likely to wear fur as I just don't like the look but I really would never have considered that it is just as cheap to buy non-fake furs.
Suzy
Many nations are still raising these animals to eat also. I can't imagine anyone being so cruel to these bright, beautiful animals... but as you say, it is true. A great expose'
I wonder if the people in China see our use of cowhide equally appalling. Isn't the cow a sacred animal in many parts of China?
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I think its India where the cow is sacred. I have also heard that leather is NOT made as a byproduct of the slaughter industry and I am meaning to look into it. Might be disturbing what I find out indeed.
Yes, if they don't view cats and dogs as we do, I guess that's their perogative...but don't sell it to us and try to fake us out. Pets are family here. One of our cats has the most incredibly silky fur, and we tease all the time that we need to keep our eye on him so that no one steals him for his fur.
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http://lotuspetal.qondio.com/
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