It’s been a crazy 48 hours for Australian fashion chain Sportsgirl after customers found out it makes select clothing with angora fur. Derived from angora rabbits in China that are subject to torture during the horrific process, this fur is heavily frowned upon and Sportsgirl has really felt the backlash as a result. Over the past couple of days, the retailer has had an influx of customer complaints on its Facebook page and many existing customers have declared they’ll be boycotting the brand for good. With its reputation on the line, Sportsgirl has quickly responded to complaints by telling Facebook ‘likers‘ (we imagine they’ve lost a few over the past couple of days) that it plans to stop using angora fur as of October 1 this year.
Sportsgirl reportedly told PETA that its angora was sourced from reputable companies in “ethical harvesting situations” and that it sent company representatives to witness the rabbit shearing process. However, PETA told News Limited that “there is simply no such thing as humanely produced angora from China” and that suppliers, like Sportsgirl, can “mislead their customers” on purpose.
And for many customers, October isn’t nearly soon enough for this to be stopped, with some insinuating that Sportsgirl would rather jeopardise the company’s dignity than risk its impressive profit margin. Facebook user Bronte Watson commented on the thread asking, “Why wait until October?! You make me sick, and I will not shop in your stores again.”
Another user, Truly Scrumptious also expressed her thoughts onto the lengthy thread of comments. “We all know full well that you are looking to sell the rest of your Angora stock by October and therefore not lose money,” she wrote. Over 2,000 Facebook users ‘like’ Sportsgirl’s Facebook status.
PETA is also less than happy with Sportsgirl’s efforts to rectify the issue and has posted a graphic image of the fur being “ripped” from the rabbits’ bodies on its Facebook page. The post is addressed to Sportsgirl and reads, “Waiting until October to remove angora wool from your shelves says you care more about MONEY than RABBITS.”
