Canada Goose:
Cold truth behind
warm coats

As I was sitting on the upper deck of bus 94, heading towards Soho, I noticed a distant chanting as we approached the wonderfully lit-up Oxford Circus: “Animal cruelty is no fashion, where the hell is your compassion?” Driven by curiosity I got off at the next stop to find out more. Following the distant mantra, sometimes difficult to separate from the honking cars and tourists enjoying a Saturday night out in London, I stumbled upon a dozen people protesting in front of Canada Goose’s flagship store, demanding their immediate shutdown.

 

At first glance it seemed like a modest street protest with only a few participants, but as I made contact with the demonstrators and heard their arguments, I instantly became involved, as anyone who could spare two minutes to stop on England’s busiest street, and simply ask the question: Who are these people and why are they protesting against Canada Goose?

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As most people aren’t aware of the ethical background of retailers in general, many passer-byes could wrongly assume that the protesters exaggerate the problems with the Canadian company’s clothing line and simply say “I have enough clutter” when an informational leaflet is offered to them. The fashion brand uses the native American coyotes’ fur for their signature fur-trim hooded winter coats with the simple argument that “it plays an important role in properly managing abundant coyote populations that are known to endanger pets and livestock” according to their website. As filling material, they use high-quality goose down claiming that it is ethically sourced. If someone takes a closer look at the leaflet, they will learn, that the company captures coyotes inhumanely, with the help of leg traps that sometimes leave the animals to suffer days on end. Unfortunately, a great number of customers are not aware of the fact that Canada Goose sells real fur, let alone the dreadful method they get ahold of it.

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Many of the members have been attending the demonstrations weekly since the shop opened its biggest store on Regent Street last November. Sian Whitehead spends 12 hours per week protesting, sometimes standing in the freezing cold temperatures, and every so often withstanding aggressive behaviour: “People have had verbally abusing and attacking us, physically as well” she confessed. Since the first protests took place, several regulations have been made to protect both Canada Goose and the demonstrators. Barriers are set up in front on a daily basis, an unmistakable line is drawn with chalk around the entrance to limit protesters’ approach towards the store that could block customers from entering, and many security personnel are hired for the safekeeping of both parties. 

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Fur farming has been illegal in the UK since 2000, but the illegality of the fur trade only applies to domestic dogs and cats. Not only is it illegal to produce the fabric, but it is also associated with several environmental and health-related issues. Compared to the production of synthetic fur clothing, it takes 4 times the amount of energy to produce authentic fur garments, while environmentally harmful products are needed to preserve the material. These hazardous chemicals, if inhaled or absorbed by the skin can lead to various health issues ranging from minor allergic reactions to hormonal imbalance.

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In light of the negative impacts of fur production, several highly respected luxury fashion brands announced they would go fur-fee, with Stella McCartney as a pioneer and an important figure in animal advocacy.

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Earlier this year, after an online petition reached 100 000 signatures, the Parliament had a debate on this issue, however, there is a long way to go until the animal fur trade is officially banned in the UK. There are small victories to celebrate during the protests as well, “A lot of people do respond, some even took their fur trim off and gave it to us, then we put red paint on it, so it could not be used again as fur” as Michael Yiasemides told me during an enlightening conversation.

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While I was standing there, among the protesters, gazing through the endless crowd making their way past Canada Goose, something weirdly soft and surprisingly light for its size was handed over to me “Hold it for me, darling, will ya?” asked one of the kind-looking elderly ladies who were surprisingly the most passionate demonstrators, although with a tiny spark of craziness in their eyes. It was a goose. Presumably the Canada one. A life-size specimen with even more life-like blood all over its body, only its featherweight could reassure me that it was an imitation of what happens to their real counterparts.

 

Interestingly, people passing by started to look at me in a different way. Some had a bitter reaction, while others would stare at me with utter contempt, and a very few expressed profound sympathy. I certainly had mixed feelings about the unpredictable outcome of the evening and didn’t necessarily know how to proceed after such an intense experience. If one thing was for sure, I was no longer a by-standing member of the general public perplexed by a couple of street protesters, because by the end of the night I became one of them.