Скачать или смотреть Fashion capital New York considers banning sale of fur

(17 Apr 2019) LEADIN:
A burgeoning movement to outlaw fur is seeking to make its biggest statement yet in the fashion mecca of New York City.
Lawmakers are pushing a measure that would ban the sale of all new fur products in the city.
STORYLINE:
Nick Pologeorgis' father started their family's New York fur business nearly 60 years ago.
He's seen fur go in and out of fashion over the years, but his business is now facing a bigger threat than any style trend.  
A burgeoning movement to outlaw fur in the fashion mecca of New York City.
Lawmakers are pushing a measure that would ban the sale of all new fur products.
A similar measure in the state Capitol in Albany would impose a state-wide ban on the sale of any items made with farmed fur and ban the manufacture of products made from trapped fur.
Whether this is good or bad depends on which side of the pelt you're on.
Members of the fur industry say such bans could put 1,100 people out of a job in the city alone.
Supporters dismiss that and emphasize that the wearing of fur is barbaric and inhumane.
State Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, a Democrat from Manhattan, is sponsoring the state legislation.
The fate of the proposals could be decided in the coming months, though supporters acknowledge New York City's measure has a better chance of passage than the state legislation.
At the height of the fur business in the last century, New York City manufactured 80 percent of the fur coats made in the U.S, according to FUR NYC, a group representing 130 retailers and manufacturers in the city.
The group says New York City remains the largest market for fur products in the country, with real fur still frequently used as trim on coats, jackets and other items.
If passed, New York would become the third major American city with such a ban, following San Francisco, where a ban takes effect this year, and Los Angeles, where a ban passed this year will take effect in 2021.
Elsewhere, Sao Paulo, Brazil, began its ban on the import and sale of fur in 2015.
Fur farming was banned in the United Kingdom nearly 20 years ago. Last year, London Fashion Week became the first major fashion event to go entirely fur-free.
When asked what a fur ban would mean for him, Nick Pologeorgis was blunt: "Somebody wants to put us out of business."
Pologeorgis' father, who emigrated from Greece, started the fur design and sales business in the city's "Fur District" nearly 60 years ago.
Supporters of the ban contend those employees could find jobs that don't involve animal fur, noting that an increasing number of fashion designers and retailers now refuse to sell animal fur and that synthetic substitutes are every bit as convincing as the real thing.
They also argue that fur retailers and manufacturers represent just a small fraction of an estimated 180,000 people who work in the city's fashion industry and that their skills can readily be transferred.
New Yorkers asked about the ban this week came down on both sides, with some questioning if a law was really needed.
"I think it's really a matter of personal choice. I don't think it's something that needs to be legislated," says 44-year-old Janet Thompson.
"There's lots of people wearing leather and suede and other animals hides out there. To pick on fur seems a little bit one-sided."

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