Kit and Ace rejects Asiatic raccoon 'dog' fur accusations
Animal rights group says luxury retailer is trying to distance one of its fur products from the domestic dog
Kit and Ace has responded to accusations of misleading consumers about the use of fur from an Asiatic raccoon, that some argue is a member of the dog family, by saying they are compliant with Canadian textile labelling laws.
The luxury retailer, run by the family of Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, says they are in "complete compliance" with the Textile Labelling Act by disclosing they have used Asiatic raccoon in their Berkeley toque.
"The use of Asiatic raccoon as a material is indicated on all appropriate Kit and Ace customer care labels," said the company in an e-mail statement to CBC News.
The issue came to light as the result of an investigative story by the National Observer. The Vancouver Humane Society argued the Asiatic raccoon belongs to the canine family.
Canada's Textile Labelling Act only requires fur sellers to disclose the names of animals used but does not regulate how the Asiatic raccoon is to be named.
More wolf than dog
The labelling of the Asiatic raccoon has been a contentious one.
Despite the animal's classification as a dog, it is not closely related to the domestic dog as a species.
In a letter dated in 2008 from the Smithsonian Institute's director, Dr. Christian Samper pointed to scientific studies that showed the Asiatic raccoon and domestic dog "definitely are not the same genus or species."
The Federal Trade Commission also reviewed labelling policies for retailers who use the fur and voted to keep the name of the animal as the Asiatic raccoon.
With files from Kirk Williams and Cory Correia