New York City Council contemplates fur ban

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Mar 28, 2019

New York may be on its way to becoming a fur-free city with the proposal of new anti-fur legislation.

The legislation, which was introduced to the New York City Council by Council Speaker and District 3 Representative Corey Johnson, aims to create a local law that would prohibit the sale of fur apparel. The proposed law would fine businesses that sold new fur, but would not penalize the sale of vintage, secondhand, repurposed or recycled fur.  

According to the New York Post, there are currently over 130 fur businesses that operate in the city, 101 of which can be found within Johnson's district on Manhattan's West Side. The new legislation has already provoked cries of both approval and disapproval from the councilman's constituency and fur lobbyists.

“We hope Speaker Johnson and the City Council refocus on real issues like addressing New York City’s growing affordability crisis and decaying infrastructure," Nancy Daigneault, spokesperson for Fur NYC, told the New York Post. 

A host of other cities including San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood have already passed legislation that prohibits the sale of fur and, on a broader scale, New York State is currently considering its own ban.

Retailers like Farfetch, as well as designers like Stella McCartney, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Phillip Lim and Ralph Lauren, have also launched initiatives to eliminate real fur from their brands, while Victoria Beckham recently dropped exotic skins.

According to animal rights non-profit Friends of Animals, the faux fur business is flourishing, having been valued at $250 million in 2010. The industry currently has a predicted growth rate of 30 percent per year.