London – French fashion retailer The Kooples has pledged to cut fur from
all future collections following active campaigning from animal rights
group PETA.
The decision to ban fur from all future collections follows on from the
Kooples decision to ban all angora wool this February, after seeing the
undercover expose from PETA concerning the systematic animal
abuse occurring on angora rabbit farms in China. After meeting with PETA
France and learning about the extreme farming conditions animals live and
suffer in on European fur farms, the Kooples expanded it ban to include all
animal fur.
“We are extremely concerned by animal suffering and … we’ve made the
decision to stop the use of all fur in any future collections”, said
Nicolas Dreyfus, The Kooples Executive Director in a statement. “We had
already made the choice to stop the use of angora in all our collections
and in all countries, which was thanks to PETA’s courage and wisdom in
helping us understand the cruel treatment inflicted on animals of which we
were not aware.”
In addition to pledging to ban all fur from future collections, The
Kooples also donated 10,000 euros to PETA France to help their cause
against the fur trade.
The Kooples fur ban comes as nearly 60,000 members of the public contacted
the fashion retailer with concerns of its use of fur. “Today’s kind
shoppers want nothing to do with an industry that confines animals to
cramped cages, violently beats them, and tears their skin off”, added
PETA’s Yvonne Taylor. “By banning fur from future collections, The Kooples
has done the right thing for animals and consumers.”
The Kooples now joins the likes of other high end retailers, such as Stella
McCartney and Vivienne Westwood, in being 100 percent fur free.
Photos: Courtesy of PETA UK