Nordstrom Is Banning the Sale of Fur and Exotic Animal Skins by the End of Next Year
Samantha McDonald
Business Editor
By the end of next year, Nordstrom will no longer house fur and exotic animal skins at its stores.
The department store announced today that it would stop selling products that are made with animal fur or exotic animal skins. The new companywide policy, which takes effect at 2021’s end, will impact not only the namesake chain, but also its off-price Nordstrom Rack banner and clearance Last Chance outposts, as well as all of its e-commerce sites.
According to the Nordstrom, the commitment was done in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States, a nonprofit organization focused on animal welfare and opposed to animal-related cruelties. It shared that the decision also stemmed from customer feedback.
“As a leading fashion retailer, we’re committed to delivering the best possible service and merchandise for our customers,” chief merchandising officer Teri Bariquit said in a statement. “Delivering on that commitment means continually listening to customer feedback and evolving our product offering to ensure we’re meeting their needs.”
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She added, “As part of our ongoing product evolution, we’ve been working with the Humane Society of the United States and recently made the decision to stop offering products made with genuine fur or exotic animal skin in any of our stores or online. Our private label brands haven’t used these materials for years, so extending this policy to all the brands we carry is a natural next step for our business.”
Additionally, Humane Society president and CEO Kitty Block said, “We applaud Nordstrom for ending the sale of fur and becoming the first U.S.-based retailer to ban exotic animal skins. This is a pivotal step toward a more humane business model and a safer world for animals, sending a clear message that animals should not suffer for the sake of fashion. Nordstrom’s decision will surely have a ripple effect on other influential fashion leaders.”
As the use of real fur in fashion continues to drop in popularity, a number of big-name brands and retailers have announced their own bans on the material: Starting in February, United Kingdom-based department store Selfridges prohibited the sale of exotic animal skins, while Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s will ditch fur by the end of 2020. Luxury brands like Karl Lagerfeld, Versace, Gucci, Coach and Diane von Furstenberg have also pledged to cease the production of fur in their collections.
