By Nadeem Meeran
ANIMAL RIGHTS protesters staged a demonstration outside Harvey Nichols in Leeds against the designer store’s use of real animal fur.
The new winter collection by Harvey Nichols features clothing with real animal fur.
In response to this protests have been occurring up and down the country. The Leeds demonstration was held on October 26.
CAFT (Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade) and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) have both urged members of the public to lobby various Harvey Nichols stores in an attempt to stop them using real fur.
They claim that if Harvey Nichols is allowed to sell fur then more shops and franchises will do the same.
Elisa Allen, director of PETA UK said: “People who are disturbed by the cruelty of the fur industry can send a message to Harvey Nichols to let them know they won’t be shopping there until the company reinstates its fur-free policy.
“We’ll continue to launch hard-hitting campaigns targeting the retailer until CEO Stacey Cartwright does the right thing and reintroduces the department store’s previously decade-long fur free policy and re-joins British luxury department stores Selfridges, House of Fraser, and Liberty in being proudly-fur free.”
Following similar demonstrations in 2004 Harvey Nichols reviewed its fur policy and decided to no longer stock real fur items for a time.
Harvey Nichols is one of the biggest fashion chains in the world which also gives it a large influence on other shops around the world.
Evan Kelly, customer service at Harvey Nichols said: “Harvey Nichols is not responsible for where the fur is sourced from but we do know that it is ethically sourced.”
Rowan Ward, 19, a costume design and textiles student at Huddersfield University said: “Perhaps Harvey Nichols is trying to be controversial to increase sales.
“There’s no excuse for using real animal fur especially considering it’s so easy to produce fake fur now.
“The only downside to using fake fur is the environmental impact but in an ethical sense killing the animal only for its fur is cruel because it’s not like leather where the whole animal is used. It’s a waste of an animal’s life.”