The headline of the story below is as misleading as the thing it’s criticizing. The hat “everyone is wearing” is not, in fact, made out of “dogs,” if by “dogs” you mean the canines that many of us have as pets. The hats in fact have pom poms made from the fur of the Asiatic Racoon. “Asiatic Racoon” is a euphemism for “Racoon Dog,” which is itself the misleading name of a fox-like animal with racoon-like markings. Although clear and honest labelling is of course a good thing, it’s hard to imagine very many consumers LOVE the idea of racoon fur on their hats but HATE the idea of fox fur on their hats. >>>
LINK: The Hat Everyone Is Wearing Is Actually Made Out Of Dog (by Christian Cotroneo for The Dodo)
A recent investigation by National Observer uncovered an ugly truth about fur labeling in Canada: It’s perfectly legitimate to advertise a garment as raccoon fur, when it’s really made from dogs.
(Not that raccoon fur is any better.)In this case, it’s the Berkeley toque, a species of winterwear that Canadian retailer Kit and Ace sells for $98 online. The cashmere number is touted as having a pom-pom made from 100 percent real Asiatic raccoon.
Well, science says that’s a dog. As in, a member of the canine family. And, although the animal has closer ties to a wolf than our domestic sidekicks, that’s a far cry from a raccoon….
What do you think?
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I think the real story is why anyone wants to wear a hat with a real fur pom pom at all. And if it’s advertised as “100% real Asiatic raccoon fur,” I mean, seriously. Who has ever even heard of an Asiatic raccoon until now? Is that supposed to make it sound exotic or are we (“they” or “everyone”) supposed to be thinking “Davey Crockett” raccoon tail, and that’s the selling point? Then it’s also seriously misleading in yet another way. People need to think a little more about what goes into their fashion statement. The problem with this article is it gets them thinking about it in the wrong sort of way.