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West Hollywood becomes first fur-free US city
By Emily Cronin | Posted: Thu 22 Sep 2011
Local councillors in West Hollwood voted unanimously to ban the sale of fur garments, becoming the first city in the United States to take steps toward outlawing the products.
Pending confirmation via a final vote in October, retailers in the small city between Hollywood and Beverley Hills will be prohibited from selling garments made in whole or part from any animal pelt.
Councillor John D?Amico, who campaigned on the issue, called the 5-0 vote ?very exciting?.
?This is a tiny city, so it?s mostly symbolic,? he told the New York Times. ?I think the impact will be heard from here to Fifth Avenue. People will talk about what a fur ban means in a new way.?
The ban will not cover the sale of leather. It will affect retailers including Balenciaga, Alberta Ferretti and 3.1 Phillip Lim, as well as local brands that have already committed to fur buys.�
Despite praise from environmental campaigners, some local retailers expressed exasperation over the vote.
?It is a completely antibusiness stance,? Darren Gold, a men?s boutique owner, told WWD. ?They are really short-sighted to think they can restrict what merchants in this economy can and cannot sell. They don?t know how retail works, and they clearly showed it last night.?
West Hollywood has been at the forefront of American cities on animal-rights issues. The council banned cat declawing in 2003 and proscribed the sale of animals from ?puppy mills? (breeding facilities with factory-like conditions) last year
D?Amico has proposed that the ban should come into effect from 30 June 2012.
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