Jump directly to the content

REAL animal fur labelled as fake has been found on sale in leading British high street stores.

A shocking investigation by  discovered rabbit, raccoon dog, mink and even cat fur on products marketed as synthetic by shops including House of Fraser and Missguided.

 A pair of gloves from House of Fraser were found to contain real fur believed to be from a rabbit
6
A pair of gloves from House of Fraser were found to contain real fur believed to be from a rabbit
 A pom-pom on a beanie hat from another shop was made from Raccoon Dog fur
6
 A pom-pom on a beanie hat from another shop was made from Raccoon Dog fur

Experts say mass-farming of animals in Asia has driven down prices of real fur, making it cheaper to produce than faux fur.

The items - which have now been removed from sale - were all priced under £30 and labelled "made in China"

Fibres expert Phil Greaves, who tested the products, told Sky  the mislabelling of real animal fur is "becoming increasingly common, particularly over the past five years".

 A pair of pink pom-pom shoes sold by Missguided were revealed to contain cat fur
6
A pair of pink pom-pom shoes sold by Missguided were revealed to contain cat fur

Shopper Donna Allison bought a pair of pink stiletto heels from Missguided with pom poms that she suspected were real.

She says she contacted Missguided on Twitter but they dismissed it as being faux.

But Dr Greaves confirmed the shoes were real fur - probably cat.

 An investigation by Sky News found real fur on sale in House of Fraser
6
An investigation by Sky News found real fur on sale in House of FraserCredit: Alamy

Donna said: "My life is basically animals and cats, so it's really hurtful, really shocking.

"Whether they know they are selling it or not there needs to be something done about it.

"They need to be more responsible for what they are selling."

A pom-pom on a beanie hat sold at a store on Oxford Street, London, was found to be made from raccoon dog, a fox-like animal with soft, thick fur which is farmed in Asia.

The shop also sold a pair of shoes with pom-poms made from mink.

 Raccoon dogs are being mass-farmed in Asia, driving down prices of real fur
6
Raccoon dogs are being mass-farmed in Asia, driving down prices of real fur

A pair of pointed pumps sold by Missguided had real fur pom-poms believed to be rabbit.

Ashley Palmier, director of Ventura Wildlife, told Sky the animals were often "skinned alive" by cruel fur farmers.

And a pair of gloves in House of Fraser were found to have a real fur trim believed to be rabbit.

A House of Fraser spokesman said: "House of Fraser has a strict no fur policy and we ensure all of our suppliers and brand partners are aware of this.

"We would never knowingly mislead our customers, who we believe have the right to know what they purchasing.

 Other products were found to have fur from mink
6
Other products were found to have fur from minkCredit: Getty Images

"We are extremely concerned that fur can be mislabelled in this way, particularly for brands that we stock.

"Our customers want assurances that House of Fraser is not be complicit in such unnecessary suffering of animals and we take this issue very seriously and have communicated this to the brand in question.

"As a result all products have been removed from sale and returned to the brand.

"We will offer a full refund on any purchases of this item previously made.

"We will also be launching a full brand partners and supplier engagement to ensure that they are reminded of our no fur policy.";

Missguided stressed it had a strict no fur policy and removed the shoes from sale after being informed of our findings.

A spokesman said: "We will be launching an internal investigation with the relevant suppliers and will ensure these matters are addressed urgently."


We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368