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Neiman Marcus to stop selling furs


minkme

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Luxury retail store to discontinue the sale of furs.

Most if not all the big department stores have discontinued the sale of furs.  Smaller shops are closing.  Not too many choices left in the USA if you're buying fur. 

 

Neiman Marcus announced it is removing fur as part of its ongoing commitment to help build a better future for animals, humans, and the planet.

Leading luxury retail chain Neiman Marcus has pledged to ditch fur.It announced that it will remove all fur from its websites and shut down its 22 fur salons by early 2023. This includes luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman, which also falls under the Neiman Marcus Group (NMG) umbrella. Neiman Marcus joins a number of other apparel and fashion companies that have taken steps to end fur sales, including Macy’s, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Valentino among others. According to the brand, the changes are part of its ongoing commitment to help build a better future for animals, humans, and the planet. It added that it will work towards creating a curated selection of sustainable and ethical range to align with customers’ evolving preferences.

‘Ethical luxury fashion’

NMG’s CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck said: “We are delivering an ultimate luxury experience for our customers and their evolving preferences.“We are updating our assortment to feature multiple sustainable and ethical luxury fashion categories.” The decision comes after years of pressure from animal rights organizations including Humane Society International (HSI), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), In Defense of Animals (IDA), and more. “It is clear the future is fur-free, and that includes the ultra-luxury space. As a leader in luxury retail, NMG has an opportunity to help build a better future for our industry. We’re grateful to the Humane Society of the United States for their partnership,” Van Raemdonck added.

‘Forge a more humane world for animals’

Kitty Block is HSUS CEO and President. She said: “We work with retailers to adopt fur-free policies because they have the capacity to save hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—of mink, foxes, raccoon dogs, rabbits, and chinchillas from ever having to know what the inside of a cramped fur-farm cage looks like.

“Plus, fur-free policies help forge a more humane world for animals by challenging the fur trade head-on and eliminating the demand for its products, making production economically unviable. For a top luxury retailer like Neiman Marcus to now join the campaign for a more humane world is a nod to all those who have been fighting against fur for so long. Together, with compassion and perseverance, we are making a difference for so many animals.”

PETA’s president Ingrid Newkirk, who has been personally campaigning to end fur sales at Neiman Marcus for nearly forty years added: “After decades of pressure from relentless grassroots activists and PETA, Neiman Marcus Group will end fur sales at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goldman.

“Many thousands of animals will be spared from being electrocuted, gassed, and beaten to death by closing down its 22 fur salons. We are sure the company will move more quickly to end fur sales than the stated end goal as no one wants to be caught dead in fur anymore.”

‘Fur is ugly, outdated, and cruel’

According to IDA Fur Campaigner Julie Massa, leading retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and TJ Maxx joining the fur-free movement sends a clear message that “that fur is ugly, outdated, and cruel.”

She added: “No animal should die for fashion, and we urge all states to follow in the footsteps of Neiman Marcus and other major retailers by passing legal bans on all fur sales.”

 

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We may never turn this around. Losing N-M is a major blow.

A future without fur? Unimaginable.

Do we stock up now or wait for the ultimate clearance sale?

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I swear if they just turn around and sell more plastic based fleeces, "wools" and fake furs then irony is truly alive and well. Not to mention these eco warriors might actually finally kill off the planet that they swore to protect.

 

Bunch of nitwits....

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  • 3 weeks later...

So sad to see another one down. I'm gonna have to go full doomsday prepper and stock up on all the furs I can before its completely banned in the US.

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I wouldn't be too worried. I'm willing to bet that this is mercenary, pure and simple. Both Macy's and Neiman Marcus saw underperforming sales and decided that they could better their bottom line AND win a small PR battle at the same time. If they were selling furs hand over fist, they wouldn't give a crap about PETA. They would be too busy laughing all the way to the bank. Businesses care about money first and foremost. They found a way to make a purely financial decision and turn it into a social one. Regardless, there are still a lot of furriers in the country and Neiman Marcus and Macy's have given them (and us) the opportunity to make sure such businesses survive.

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My furrier told me last year that at even at the height of the pandemic, they were absolutely swamped because Macy's/Bloomingdale's had stopped selling furs the year prior. Now with Neiman Marcus out of the game, its gonna get even crazier. With the big tent stores out of the game, it just leaves the smaller furriers, boutiques and salons to fill in that vacuum. They are gonna rise to the top. And it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the more experienced employee's who got axed from these larger department stores end up renting their own retail space to stay in the fur game.

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As I stated before, a very lucrative business is not going to just cease to exist. Between smaller fur salons and the internet sellers, I think we will be fine. After the half-hearted players shake out, whoever is still in the game will be competing full on for our dollars. There are too many customers ready for their next fur garment that savvy providers will be fighting over. I think good times are ahead. Good luck to those who enjoy clothing made by Exxon.   

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Has Saks also said they won't sell fur in future?  I think that Lord & Taylor did stop selling furs some years ago; but didn't they bring them back again?  (I miss Filene's Basement so much!  They had a great fur department)

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The furs at Filene's were a leased department in the basement.  They did not adhere to the same markdown policy. Always a must visit when I was in Boston. On one occasion the salesperson took myself and few others into the underground room [not really a vault] that they used to store their stock. Rows and rows of hundreds of furs. I was trying to figure out how I could duck out of sight and be left behind. Alas the "tour" ended and we went back to the sales floor. I still have 4 pieces obtained from them long ago. 

  • Haha 1
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