Nordstrom bans fur and exotic animal skins

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Sep 30, 2020

Nordstrom has announced a new company-wide policy to stop selling products made using animal fur or exotic animal skin, by the end of 2021. 

The policy will be active across the company's portfolio, including Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack and Last Chance stores, as well as Nordstrom's e-commerce sites. The commitment was made in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States.  

"As a leading fashion retailer, we're committed to delivering the best possible service and merchandise for our customers," said Teri Bariquit, chief merchandising officer at Nordstrom.

"Delivering on that commitment means continually listening to customer feedback and evolving our product offering to ensure we're meeting their needs. 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."  

The change comes as a growing number of members of the fashion industry choose to stop selling fur. Last year, both Macy's and Bloomingdale's announced their decision to go fur-free by 2021, joining commitments from brands like Burberry and Prada. 0n an even larger scale, California became the first U.S. state to ban the sale of animal fur products state-wide this past October. 

"We applaud Nordstrom for ending the sale of fur and becoming the first U.S. based retailer to ban exotic animal skins," said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.

"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."