Peta launches campaign to get Farfetch to ban angora

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 24, 2019

Animal rights organisation Peta will put pressure on Farfetch to ban the sale of angora items at its annual general meeting on Wednesday.

A Peta US representative will use the organisation’s right as a shareholder in Farfetch to ask for clarification regarding its no-fur policy.

Utilizing the same strategy it has followed with other fashion companies to push for the ban of certain animal products, Peta became a Farfetch shareholder in September 2018 after its IPO.

The online marketplace for luxury fashion goods announced five months later that "products made entirely from furs or made with fur trims" would be banned by 31 December 2019. 

But Peta argues Farfetch has refused to confirm whether the ban includes angora.

“No sensitive living being should be subjected to the suffering that angora rabbits go through when their fur is torn out of their bodies,” said Peta director Elisa Allen. 

“Peta is calling on Farfetch to take a stand against suffering by following the lead of many high-end fashion brands and retailers by ending the sale of angora on its websites.”

A Peta representative will press for the ban to cover rabbit-fur products by asking Farfetch directors the following question: “Given that Farfetch is well aware of the extreme cruelty that goes into the angora items sold on its website, will the online fashion platform follow in the footsteps of over 340 designers and retailers, such as Gucci, Burberry, and Selfridges, that have already banned the rabbit-fur yarn?” 

Farfetch, which in August denied rumors it was about to buy Barneys New York, increased Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) from $338m to $488m in the second quarter of the year, while revenue grew by more than 40% to $209m.

The expanding company is working to integrate a new ‘brand platform’ layer to its existing portfolio of services through the recent acquisition of New Guards Group.