Real animal fur sold as fake with ‘faux’ at House of Fraser and Missguided clothes revealed to be cat, mink and raccoon dog
Mass-farming in Asia has driven down prices, making real fur cheaper to produce than fake
Mass-farming in Asia has driven down prices, making real fur cheaper to produce than fake
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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