Monday, September 1, 2008 Beware Fur Hags and Fur Ghouls, WAR is On Your Trail Demo #1: Escada – Fifth Avenue  Activists have promised to keep up the heat on Escada, which has been a global anti-fur target since September, 2007. Declining sales coupled with actions and protests at Escada stores around the world have not changed Escada’s position on selling fur. This Fall and Winter promise to be a bad one for Escada as activists are resolved to show them the power of the international animal rights movement. At one time, Escada employees laughed at activists who began doing protests at the Fifth Avenue store a year ago. No doubt, they believed that the activists would come back once or twice and that after Fur Free Friday, Escada would be past the worst of it. They have learned that this is not the case. After regular protests that continued through the summer months, the employees at Escada are no longer laughing. Bloody banners unfurled and posters showing the brutalized remains of once living and once beautiful fur bearing animals accompanied by the loud angry voices of activists greet potential shoppers at Escada. Those who choose to enter the store are shamed individually by activists. Less and less shoppers are willing to run the gauntlet and many turn away and take flyers which detail how they can contact Escada to ask them to go fur-free. Demo #2: Fendi - Fifth Avenue A short walk from Escada along Fifth Avenue and activists were at the next target of the afternoon, the ever-offensive Fendi. Fendi’s advertisement in high end fashion magazines like Vogue and W take revolting ads to new higher level. Full length furs, often sporting actual body parts of animals drape over emaciated and anorexic looking models. How disgusting! So, it was no surprise that Fendi’s sales and security staff would be low class trash, who decided to respond to activists by holding an impromptu fur fashion show in the stores second story window overlooking Fifth Avenue. Girls and boys (surely they could not have been men and women acting in such a juvenile and offensive way) paraded across their own self styled catwalk to the chagrin of the protesters and the disgust of on-lookers along the avenue. Looking up at the spectacle above them, activist’s anger turned to laughter as they noticed that some of the Fendi strumpets who were wearing short skirts forgot to put on their underwear. A crowd gathered across the street in front of St. Matthew’s church to watch the public flaunting. Upturned faces showed their disapproval at such a vulgar and disgusting display of vanity and lack of compassion. Talk about showing your ass! One compassionate woman was so horrified at their rude and childish behavior that she left the protest site and returned ten minutes later with a bag full of drinks that she passed out to the demonstrators. She told activists that it was the least she could do to support their efforts to educate people that were so hard hearted and cold that they would mock the compassion of the activists. She promised that she would never shop at Fendi again. The offensive Fendi employees must have caused Fendi great embarrassment as well as the loss of sales. “We’ll be back, Fendi. Next time could you please wear your underwear?” Demo #3: Fendi - Fifth Avenue Next up on the schedule was Tod's on Madison Avenue. Activists are particularly incensed over the selection of Gwyneth Paltrow as the new Tod's celebrity spokesperson. Gwyneth used to be known as a very socially and environmentally conscious celebrity. One of her first assignments for Tod's was to do a fashion magazine cover in rabbit fur. No wonder activists have added Tod's to their target list. Sadly, Tod’s was closed, so after a short break, activists decided to return to Fendi’s to close the afternoon. They said they would be back, and it appears they really meant it! A second round of loud chanting and shaming those who choose to cross the picket line to shop at Fendi’s. Video Clip: |
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