La Belle Nuage: Kitson's Murderous Mislabeling Spree

Back in January I exposed LA's "trendy" Kitson Boutique for selling real fur. Kitson was selling fur coats, vests, and accessories made from coyote, mink, fox, and rabbit fur. I started the Kitson: Please Stop Selling Fur campaign and petition. During my investigation I found a purse on their website that looked an awful lot like real fur, but it was labeled as faux. If you remember, back in December 2010 I caught Urban Outfitters selling a fur trimmed cardigan that was mislabeled as faux, when it was discovered to be real rabbit fur from China. I was fairly certain that this purse was real fur too, so I sent in my finding to the Humane Society to have the fur tested. I'm damn good at causing a ruckus, but when it comes to science, I leave that professionals.

The Humane Society bought the mislabeled fur, and had all of it tested. The results came back, and it was announced today that Kitson was selling not one, but THREE separate items that were all advertised as faux fur, when they were in fact real fur.

The Humane Society's Fur Free Campaign reports:

"The Canada Goose “Reese Bomber Jacket” (size 6-12 months) was advertised as having “Detachable faux fur on hood,” but once purchased and examined, the label stated “Coyote,” and laboratory analysis using microscopy revealed that the fur is from an animal in the Canidae family—most likely coyote or gray wolf.

The Monnalisa “Pink Puffy Jacket” (size 12-18 months) was advertised online as “Features detachable faux fur on hood,” but once purchased and examined, the label did not, as required by federal law, reference the fur content. Laboratory analysis using microscopy revealed that the fur on this garment is also from an animal in the Canidae family—most likely raccoon dog.

The Street Level purse was advertised as a “Faux leather and faux fur carry on,” but once purchased and examined, a hangtag stated simply “fur.” Laboratory analysis using microscopy revealed that the fur is from an animal most likely in the Canidae family, which includes the coyote, gray wolf, red and arctic fox, raccoon dog, and others."

This is disturbing on many levels. The fact that there are three separate violations proves that this is not a careless mistake; this is consumer fraud and negligence at its finest. Kitson's headquarters are in West Hollywood, a city that just passed a ban on the sale of fur. They're also in violation of the Truth in Fur Labeling Act. As of March 18th, "all animal fur wearing apparel sold in the United States, regardless of value, has to be advertised and labeled with the name of the animal killed for the fur and the country of origin of the fur. Violations of the Fur Products Labeling Act carry up to a $5,000 fine and up to a year in prison."

Despite Kitson's murderous mislabeling spree, Kitson is still selling fur clearly labeled as real fur and not apologizing for it. We all need to act now and ask Kitson to not only stop selling fur, but to apologize to those who might have unintentionally purchased animal skins. The more vocal we are about this, the more likely we are to get Kitson, and any other retailer who sells fur to stop and support cruelty free fashion.

Please contact Kitson and sign the fur free petition: http://chn.ge/wYUGni

You can write Kitson on Facebook and Twitter

Email Kitson at info@shopkitson.com

Phone Kitson at (800) 814-8447

Fax Kitson at (310) 855-9378