PORTLAND, Ore. (Nov. 29, 2023) — In honor of Fur Free Friday on November 24, In Defense of Animals and Animal Rights Collective Portland activists held a gory protest aimed at fashion mogul Louis Vuitton which continues to sell fur products despite the immense cruelty to animals. Shoppers witnessed activists dousing a pile of fur coats in artificial blood on the sidewalk outside Louis Vuitton. Around 30 activists gathered with signs and chanted loudly to raise awareness and encourage the fashion house to enact a fur-free policy.  

“Our eyecatching display of bloody fur coats certainly turned heads and vividly showed shoppers that Louis Vuitton has blood on its hands,” said Fleur Dawes, Communications Director at In Defense of Animals. “I am delighted that Portland’s city of animal lovers showed up in force on Fur Free Friday, a global day of protest with 11 cities protesting Louis Vuitton. Forcing animals to experience a life of extreme pain and suffering for fashion is unacceptable and Louis Vuitton must get on board by enacting a fur-free policy.”

"People worldwide are protesting against fur in the fashion industry and Louis Vuitton Monet Hennessy (LVMH), the largest and most influential fashion house in the world, is one of the last hold-outs," said Dani Rukin of Animal Right Collective Portland. "Our demand is clear and simple: drop fur and adopt a fur-free policy. Real fur is cruel, barbaric, and out of fashion. We will not stop until fur is abolished."

Many luxury fashion brands such as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Gucci and Micahel Kors have adopted a fur-free policy. 

Louis Vuitton is now facing an international pressure campaign because it is instrumental in promoting real fur as a luxury brand and status symbol through millions of dollars in advertising and celebrity partnerships. During this busy shopping season, activists in cities including Chicago, New York City, Portland, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston, Las Vegas, Dallas, Toronto, London, and Antwerp, Belgium, will continue to escalate protests at Louis Vuitton’s establishments until it announces it will go fur-free. 

Fur Free Friday was founded in 1986 on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the busiest shopping day of the year. It is the longest-running day of animal activism. At the time, every large department store had a fur department and there were multiple fur salon stores in downtown Portland. Now, thanks to the relentless pressure of activists, there are no stores in Portland that sell new fur. 

However, Louis Vuitton, which is owned by LVMH, still parades fur in fashion shows, and sells fur products online and in some shops outside of Portland. LVMH is well aware that fur production is extremely cruel. Every effort has been made to convince LVMH to stop selling fur, but it continues to do so. 

Learn more and get involved: www.furkills.org

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Contacts:

In Defense of Animals: Fleur Dawes (415) 879-6879 media@idausa.org  

Animal Rights Collective Portland: Dani Rukin (917) 455-2355 danirukin@gmail.com 

Images & Video:

Free to use with credit shown in filename: https://bit.ly/PDXFFF23

Organizations:

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization based in Marin County, California, with over 250,000 supporters and a 40-year history of fighting for animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as its hands-on rescue facilities in California, India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi. www.idausa.org/fur

Animal Rights Collective Portland is a community of individuals and groups amplifying and supporting animal rights activism in the Portland Metro area. ARCPDX was founded by local grassroots animal rights activists who recognized the need for a welcoming and intersectional space for activists of all backgrounds, with clear community guidelines, and democratic leadership. https://www.arcpdx.org

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