Whoops. In the latest fur-flying episode of celebrities and their fashion faux pas, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter joins Sean “Diddy” Combs as the most recent hip-hop/fashion mogul to screw up a coat label.
Acting on a hunch that other fashion celebs might not be paying too close attention to their outfit origins, the Humane Society of the US purchased a “faux-fur” coat from Jay-Z’s Rocawear website, and had the lining tested. The test showed that the fur was taken from raccoon dogs—a type of dog raised for fur in China.
Customers had no way of knowing if the faux-fur claims were real since a federal loophole exists that allows coats with fur valued at $150 or less to have no label. Jay-Z’s coat is a disturbing trend in which assumed fake accessories are actually the fur of animals potentially skinned alive. The HSUS is working hard to investigate other similar claims. From the article,
“The HSUS has found problems on jackets by retailers and designers at all price levels. Mass spectrometry testing of fur-trimmed jackets from a variety of designers and retailers revealed that nine out of 10 were found to contain raccoon dog fur.”
So the question remains: Jay-Z, what are you going to do about this?
About Michael dEstries
Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.View all posts by Michael dEstries →

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