California Apparel News

In a Sept. 29 announcement, Seattle luxury-department-store retailer Nordstrom revealed that it would halt the sale of animal-fur and exotic-animal-skin products by the end of 2021. This latest step is another facet of the Nordstrom Cares commitment to corporate social responsibility, which includes strategizing on more-responsible business practices, environmental responsibility, human rights, corporate philanthropy, diversity and inclusion, and engaging with the community.

“As a leading fashion retailer, we’re committed to delivering the best possible service and merchandise for our customers. Delivering on that commitment means continually listening to customer feedback and evolving our product offerings to ensure we’re meeting their needs,” Teri Bariquit, chief merchandising officer at Nordstrom, said in a statement. “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.”

Through the partnership with the HSUS, Nordstrom will examine best strategies to move forward with its new business practices. The retailer will cease the sale of animal-fur and exotic-animal-skin products by adopting a company-wide policy that includes bricks-and-mortar Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack and Last Chance locations, in addition to the company’s e-commerce sites.

“We applaud Nordstrom for ending the sale of fur and becoming the first U.S.-based retailer to ban exotic animal skins,” Kitty Block, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society, said in a press release. “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.”