In the past several months, major fashion houses including Gucci, Michael Kors, and, most recently, Versace have announced that they will phase out the use of animal fur in their collections. It seems that change is on the horizon as well when it comes to actual cities where you can buy fur: San Francisco will ban the sale of fur, starting next year.
On Tuesday, San Francisco city supervisors held a unanimous vote prohibiting the sale of any and all items newly made with real animal fur products (that means coats, apparel, accessories, key chains, and so forth), which will go into effect on January 1, 2019, according to the Associated Press. (Fur products currently in stock can remain on shelves through January 1, 2020; reselling used and vintage furs will still be allowed, but only at secondhand stores, pawnshops, and nonprofit retailers.)
This legislation would make San Francisco the largest U.S. city to go fur-free. West Hollywood, also in California, was the first to ban fur entirely back in 2013; Berkeley followed suit in 2017.
"More than 50 million animals are violently killed each year around the world to support the fashion industry," Katy Tang, the San Francisco city supervisor who introduced the legislation, said in a statement, according the San Francisco Examiner. "San Francisco is a city with progressive values where we believe in the rights of all people as well as all living things—and it is not right to allow this practice to continue."
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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called the unanimous vote a "historic victory for animals" on its website. The Humane Society for the United States, meanwhile, wrote on its blog that "with the vote, San Francisco, a major fashion center in the United States, has sent a clear message to fashion retailers and designers: fur is not fashionable."
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According to Jim Lazarus, a Senior Vice President of Public Policy at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, approximately 50 local businesses will be impacted by this ban; the group also noted to APR that the sale of fur makes the city around $40 million annually.
As San Francisco’s fur ban is implemented, we’ll see how businesses and shoppers respond—and whether other U.S. cities follow its lead.
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