action request!

[keryx]

Lane Bryant, which is one of few widely available fat grrrl clothing stores, has taken to selling fox fur. I am really, really not down with the production & sale of new fur, and I sent a message to say so.


Dear (person),

Thank you for your recent email.

Our fur items were introduced in direct response to customer requests for these fashion-forward items. As with any fashion item, they may not appeal to all of our customers. We hope that those who do not wear fur will continue to choose Lane Bryant for other great fashion options.

We appreciate your concern about the products we offer and hope that you will continue to shop with www.lanebryant.com.

Sincerely,

Melinda
lanebryant.com Customer Service
www.lanebryant.com

Wait, I thought fur was a fashion disaster from the eighties? Since when is cruelty "fashion forward"? I mean, I realize I wear some leather shoes, and I certainly eat a share of meat, but wearing fur isn't simply being too lazy to respect animal life - it's going out of your way to be mean. Unless you kill your animal, eat it and then wear its skin.

Even if your gender, size or taste keeps you from shopping there no matter what, would you consider contacting them? I'd really really really like it for Lane Bryant to be inundated with anti-fur letters.

Comments

[crafting-change.livejournal.com]

not to be the obnoxious vegan,
but you do know that the cows they use for leather are different than the cows you eat, right?
I'll definitely be sending them a 'please don't sell fur' email though.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Yes, of course I know that. Leather and meat are about the same in my estimation of animal maltreatment - in that I think most of us are aware they're cruel, and when we use those products, it's because we think the inconvenience to ourselves outweighs the meanness. The exception to killing/eating/wearing an animal in my mind is for the rare, non-industrial animal killer. The average leather & meat user doesn't even remotely fall in that category.

But fur is still vastly worse, IMO.

[crafting-change.livejournal.com]

I can totally understand that perspective, I was just making sure you knew the deal since you added in:
Unless you kill your animal, eat it and then wear its skin.

[peregrin8.livejournal.com]

you do know that the cows they use for leather are different than the cows you eat, right?

not that I eat cows, but... I actually didn't know this. Do they throw away the skins of the cows they slaughter for meat?

[keryx.livejournal.com]

I'm sure someone else can answer more clearly - but as I understand it, the hides from slaughter are used for rough leather (i.e. heavy boots, sometimes furniture). The leather we generally use in our shoes and bags and stuff is typically calf leather, and I think is "farmed" entirely for leather.

[crafting-change.livejournal.com]

The way that the skin is cut makes for bad leather, so I think it is often used to make glue, and other weird things.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

PS - they also sell the occasional leather jacket, so if you wanted to include that in your protest, by all means, do so.

[crafting-change.livejournal.com]

heheh, I'll use that broad 'animal product' approach!
thanks again for the heads up!

[peregrin8.livejournal.com]

I sent them an email. Thanks!

[luna-littleone.livejournal.com]

I wonder if PETA is aware of this.

*envisioning Lane Bryant Stores covered in Red splashs of paint*

[cyprinella]

Geez, and it's an ugly coat at that! I'm so glad that I'm almost at a point where I can shop at other retailers because their clothes just don't make sense half the time.

Real fur makes sense to me if your a high end retailer and, well, snobby rich folk want the real thing. But an ugly coat? Trim on an ugly coat? When teh real stuff is practically indistinguishable? Ridiculous. And that's what I said in my letter.

[fancymcsnazsnaz.livejournal.com]

I've spent a fair bit of money in their stores this past few years (not recently because their clothes have started to be unbearably frumpy) - I'd be quite happy to tell them I'm not going to be spending any more of it if they're selling fur.

[attrice.livejournal.com]

I told them I wouldn't be shoppin there while they were selling fur. Honestly, that may or may not be true. Fat women don't have tons of options unfortunately. But they don't have to know that.

[fancymcsnazsnaz.livejournal.com]

That's the problem I've got too: it's nigh impossible to find manufacturers of fat clothes that don't slaughter animals, use sweatshop labor, or treat their retail employees like indentured servants. I try to buy secondhand when I can, but I swear there must be a fat-girl day at the thrift stores that no one tells me about, because I have a wretchedly hard time ever finding anything in my size that's work-wearable.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Someone else once theorized that what actually happens is fat women who wear remotely cute clothes all keep those clothes forever. Cause they have to hoard, basically - in case they run out of shopping options.

Anyone who's seen my closet would probably beg to differ, and I do give things away once a year or so - but I bet the supply of clothes available at thrift stores is way lower than the demand.

[firecat]

Actually, because many manufacturers of fat clothes are small family-run catalog businesses, there are plenty of them that don't do those things.

But if you add "inexpensive" into the list of requirements, you're hosed unless you buy second-hand.

eBay is a good source for 2d-hand fat clothes.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

That's the thing that really gets me, in an odd way. Clearly I'm just living in a bubble where being fat is strongly correlated with being at least liberal enough to hate the fur, if they actually have customers requesting that shit.

[cutegaychick.livejournal.com]

Done. I told them I wouldn't shop there again until they quit with the fur. I'll even try to force Cricket into the boycott as well, although that's a bit harder.

Actually, I haven't shopped at LB in awhile anyway. They're way expensive and if I'm persistent enough, I find I can usually find one or two Walmart sweatshop items that fit me each season.

Plus, I want to add a different LB gripe. Ever notice their manakins? Look at their backs and you'll notice that they've pinned Size 20 clothes to fit on a Size 12 manakin. LB doesn't carry sizes small enough to fit its own advertising. I mean, I think the LB manakins are a tiny bit larger than regular skinny-girl manakins, but not much and they're certainly way too small for any of the sizes that LB actually sells. *grumble* That's always bugged me.

[fooltheworld.livejournal.com]

According to LB this is because their research shows that they sell more when their clothing is presented on size 12 models and mannequins. :/

[keryx.livejournal.com]

What others have said applies, and sucks.

Although there may also be the "waaah, but we just can't get cheap mannequins over a size 14" issue - I recall seeing something to that effect not long ago - actual PLUS SIZE mannequins are apparently a super-specialty item, even though most women wear 12+ clothes. Stupid stupid stupid.

forcing me to boycott shopping

[arovd.livejournal.com]

ummm. yeah. not likely to happen. especially since I happen to actually like fur/leather clothing.

[orkid.livejournal.com]

i sent them a message, too.

[varsil.livejournal.com]

It's not like they waste any parts of the animal. Nowadays we use every part of the animal in a way that'd make our ancestors gape. The rest of the fox is probably showing up in fertilizer and the like.

Yes, that means that your vegetables are made with animal products, especially if it's organic produce.

But I wear leather, I eat meat, and I have no problem with fur farms if they're run according to the same standards I hold the meat industry to.

[vagal-nerve.livejournal.com]

Blech! I have shopped there for a danged long time. Email sent, will close account.

And, oh, can we be friends?

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Ooh, of course we can be friends.

And yes, what a bummer.