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Animal Rights Activists Protest Fur Sales at Bergdorf Goodman

December 10, 2019 by Leave a Comment


The News

On Saturday, December 7th, several dozen animal rights activists with Caring Activists Against Fur (CAAF) and The Animals Battalion staged an anti-fur protest at Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury department store in Manhattan. In spite of pending legislation that would ban the sale of fur in NYC and the decision by Macy’s & Bloomingdales to close their fur departments, Bergdorf’s refuses to take fur off of its racks. The protest attracted the attention of thousands of pedestrians on 57th Street and Fifth Ave, the epicenter of Manhattan’s holiday shopping district.

In March, 2019, the Speaker of the New York City Council, Corey Johnson, introduced legislation to ban the sale of new fur products. In spite of widespread support among New Yorkers for a fur ban, the bill stalled after a prominent black preacher in Harlem, Reverend Johnnie Green, decried it as racist.

In op-eds published in New York City newspapers, African American animal rights activists criticized Reverend Green, who was hired by the fur lobby, for using racism to oppose a fur ban. In a Daily News opinion piece Jabari Brisport, a public school teacher running for New York State Senate, wrote “I found it insulting that the fur trade would use my community as a smokescreen. . . I’ve marched with Black Lives Matter in Charlottesville and gotten hit with tear gas by white supremacists.  I’ve been arrested while protesting a luxury housing development in Crown Heights. I know what a threat to the black community looks like. This fur ban ain’t it.”

Energized by the recent passage of a fur ban in the state of California, Voters for Animal Rights, a NYC-based advocacy group, has vowed to continue lobbying NYC lawmakers in support of the Council Speaker Johnson’s legislation.  At the same time, animal rights groups, including CAAF, Animals Battalion, Total Liberation New York and PETA, continue to target prominent retailers selling fur, including Canada Goose,  Nordstrom, Woolrich, Fendi, the Fur Source and Paragon Sports.


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Luxury Faux Furs Hit the Runway During 2019 Fashion Week in NYC

February 12, 2019 by Leave a Comment


The News

In 2015, fashion designer Anna Tagliabue integrated her passion for fashion and protecting animals by launching a company called Pelush that designs luxury faux fur coats and accessories. During 2019 Fashion Week, Ms. Tagliabue debuted her newest designs during a cruelty-free fashion show in Manhattan:

“We don’t have to harm animals to wear fur because new technology enables us to reproduce it perfectly, often with recycled materials,” said Tagliabue.”Our fabrics are virtually indistinguishable from chinchilla, mink, fox and even Broadtail Astrakhan, which is the most difficult fur to reproduce.”

Pelush Faux-Fur Runway Show During 2019 Fashion Week in NYC

As wearing fur becomes less socially acceptable, many of the world’s top luxury fashion houses, including Gucci, Chanel and Burberry, have committed to eliminating it from their collections. Several companies, however, have dug in their heels. Canada Goose, which defends its use of fur by claiming that it’s “ethically sourced,” has been a target of animal rights activists in recent years because it has normalized the use of fur trim hoods, which are pervasive in big cities during the winter months.

Animal rights activists in New York City protest at the Canada Goose store in Soho

In 2018, two California cities, Berkeley and San Francisco, banned the sale of fur. In January, 2019, Los Angeles followed suit. Animal rights activists in California are now working to achieve a statewide ban. In 2019, London Fashion Week became the first to go fur-free. 


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Luxury Faux Furs Take Center Stage at Fashion Week in NYC

September 15, 2017 by Leave a Comment


The News

In the mid-1990s, fashion designer Anna Tagliabue wanted to launch a line of luxury faux fur clothing. The technology, however, wasn’t available. Twenty years later, Ms. Tagliabue staged her a runway show during NYC’s prestigious Fashion Week.  Dozens of NYC fashionistas filled the seats, and, by all accounts, they loved what they saw:

While Ms. Tagliabue loves design, it was her love of animals – and her desire to protect them – that motivated her to start her company, Pelush. “Education and awareness about the plight of animals must come from fashion — not just food,” said Ms. Tagliabue. “With all of the beautiful, cruelty-free alternatives, people have no excuse to continue wearing fur and other animal skins.”

Pelush Runway Show in NYC during Fashion Week

When asked how activists who confront people on the street will know that someone is wearing a faux-fur Pelush garment, Ms. Tagliabue said she plans to sew on a patch that will be easily recognizable – similar to Canada Goose.

Fashion design Anna Tagliabue with models from her runway show during NYC Fashion Week

Pelush fans photograph the models after the show

Ms. Tagliabue says that her one-of-a-kind, cruelty-free designs serve as a “wonderful alternative to real fur for compassionate women in search of glamour, comfort and the warmth of a plush coat.”

NYC animal rights activists make the V for vegan symbol on the red carpet after walking the Pelush runway wearing t-shirts with messages about kindness to animals


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