Harvey Nichols’ fashion director has resigned after animal rights activists accused her of being ‘singlehandedly responsible’ for breaking the store’s no-fur policy.
The luxury fashion store had previously stopped stocking fur but this season, under the direction of Paula Reed, the autumn/winter range includes garments trimmed with raccoon, rabbit, fox and coyote fur.
The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) held a National Day of Action, taking placards and demonstrations across the country including a highly-publicised campaign in Manchester during Vogue Fashion’s Night Out.
A PETA spokesman said: “After receiving confirmation in a meeting with Joseph Wan that Reed was singlehandedly responsible for breaking Harvey Nichols’ strict decade-long policy against selling fur, PETA hopes her resignation will pave the way for the reinstatement of the department store’s previous, well-respected policy.
“PETA members and supporters sent more than 5,000 e-mails and thousands of Facebook messages and tweets in the past few days urging Reed to reconsider this disastrous decision, which supports an industry that condemns rabbits, foxes and other animals to a lifetime of suffering inside tiny, filthy cages.
“Gassing, beating and electrocuting animals and then ripping the skin off their backs, all for the sake of vanity, is utterly reprehensible and just as unacceptable now as it was 10 years ago.
“We ask Harvey Nichols to realign itself now with the ethical values of the British public – 95% of whom would never wear real fur and who rightly regard the industry as one of the most violent, bloody and barbaric on the planet – and reinstate its ban on fur.”
CAFT member Isobel McNally took part in the Manchester demonstrations. She told MM last week: “We are reminding them of the public opinion against fur. People have been shocked and upset and said they would boycott the store.”
Image courtesy of SHOWstudio via YouTube, with thanks
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