Nordstrom to stop selling fur and exotic skin products

The retailer follows Macy’s lead by a year in ditching fur and exotic animal skins.

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Nordstrom said on Tuesday it would stop selling products with fur or exotic animal skins by the end of next year in tacit acknowledgement of consumers’ growing objections to such items.

The high-end department store, whose own house brands have not included fur for a number of years, said the ban would extend to its namesake stores, its discount Rack chain, and its website. Nordstrom follows Macy’s, whose namesake and Bloomingdale’s chains made this move just under a year ago, saying they would stop by January 2021. In the United Kingdom, department store Selfridges ended the sale of exotic animal skins earlier this year.

Nordstrom’s chief merchant, Teri Bariquit, said in a statement that serving customers better “means continually listening to customer feedback and evolving our product offering to ensure we’re meeting their needs.” The retailer consulted with the Humane Society in making the decision, as Macy’s did last year.

HBC’s Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, both higher-end retailers than Nordstrom or Bloomingdale’s, continue to sell fur and exotic skins products. Such skins include those from various reptiles as well as sharks, ostrich, and kangaroos. Neither company immediately responded to requests for comment.

For a growing number of customers, real fur seems outdated. Macy’s, last year, pointed to that trend, the rise of new fabric technology, and the popularity of faux fur in explaining its decision. Retailers and fashion houses have also gotten a nudge from some governments: Last October, the State of California, a major market for Nordstrom, recently banned the sale and manufacturing of fur products starting in 2023.

And many top brands like Gucci, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, and Tommy Hilfiger have gone fur-free. Canada Goose, long criticized for its use of coyote fur, said in April it would stop buying new fur from trappers but would continue to adorn coats with recycled fur.

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