Astrakhan: Hot "New" Fashion is the Same Old Cruelty

	©2000 HSUS

Recently unveiled on runways in Milan and Paris, this year's fall fashion collection shocked industry writers and animal advocates who had assumed the fur was long out of favor: Several prominent designers, from Gucci to Dolce & Gabbana, paraded haute couture made entirely from or trimmed with the fur of newborn or fetal lambs.

The fashion industry, perpetually aware of the importance of labels, has apparently and unapologetically opted to call the fur "astrakhan" this season. What that term means is not exactly clear—it could refer to the fur of newborn Persian or karakul lambs or it could refer to broadtail fur taken from fetal lambs (or generally refer to both)—but whatever its exact definition, astrakhan boils down to one thing: early death for lambs, often even death for fetal lambs and their mothers.

"Astrakhan" turned up this spring in a Burberry coat trimmed with the fur at the knee, in a Gucci skirt with the fur sliced into it, in a Miu Miu coat that dyed the fur purple, and in other items. While you won't find these garments at your local Target this fall, you will find them in high-end boutiques, where celebrities and elites will shell out up to $24,150 for an individual item.

"Whether labeled broadtail, Persian or astrakhan, ewes and their young suffer and die for these products," said Jennifer Allen, HSUS Fur Campaign manager. "This revolting trend is hardly new. It has simply risen from the dead with a different name."

Return of the Lamb

No one knows for sure why the fur of newborn and fetal lambs has become fashionable again. Some fashion writers speculate that it has to do with design houses purposely trying to shock people and garner media attention. Others suggest that designers are merely resuscitating the influences of '60s pop culture. Then there are those who believe the fur industry is paying designers large sums to incorporate their products into fashion wear.

Some animal advocates suspect part of the reason for the resurgence is the fur's deceptive look and feel. Whether karakul or broadtail, the fur more closely resembles watered silk or crushed velvet. Broadtail—the fur of a karakul lamb about two weeks before birth—is usually black, shiny, and so tightly curled that it forms smooth ridges. The fur noticeably loses luster over the next ten days, and uncurls and lightens in color rapidly within the first two or three days after birth. The younger the lamb or fetus, the more valuable the pelt.

The fur's deceptive appearance, combined with clever marketing, can trick consumers who may otherwise wish to avoid fur garments and accessories. A reporter with the Daily Mail in London recently talked to a fur dealer in Frankfurt, Germany who said that he sells karakul coats under the "Kara-Cool" label, which, according to the journalist, "appeals to the younger shoppers."

"The new processing techniques and the new colors mean we are appealing to a younger customer," another fur dealer told the Daily Mail.  "We used to say that all you could make out of karakul was a black coat fit for a funeral, but not anymore."

Kara-Cool, astrakhan, broadtail, and Persian lamb are just a few of the labels under which the fur of newborn or fetal lambs could be sold; others include swakara or krimmer. It would seem clear that designers and retailers will continually find a way to repackage and remarket karakul and broadtail fur to an unsuspecting public—a public that has no idea how ugly the slaughter of lambs (and their mothers) can be.

Silencing the Lambs

The fur industry and trade associations routinely claim that ewes are never killed to obtain the lamb fetuses. Industry officials say whenever broadtail fur is used, it comes from stillborn lambs, and that karakul fur is merely a byproduct of meat production.

The HSUS found otherwise in a groundbreaking investigation, perhaps the first investigation ever to videotape a karakul farm in central Asia.

In March 2000, HSUS investigators toured a farm near Bukhara, in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, and found that pregnant ewes were routinely slaughtered for fetal pelts. Graphic videotape shot at the farm showed a pregnant ewe held down, her throat slit, and her stomach slashed wide so that a worker could remove the developing fetus—the "raw material" for coats, vests, and other broadtail fashions.

What's more, contrary to the industry's claims that karakul lamb fur is merely a byproduct of meat production, HSUS investigators videotaped newborn lambs displayed as "samples" of pelt colors before being sent to their death. The pelts were saved, the tiny carcasses discarded as trash.

Uzbekistan's response to The HSUS investigation was telling; the country's agricultural department went on a smear campaign to discredit the investigation, falsely claiming The HSUS had staged the brutal slaughter of the ewe for the cameras.

"It was a classic case of 'killing the messenger,'" said Rick Swain, vice president of The HSUS Investigative Services. "Instead of taking a long, hard look at its practices, Uzbekistan instead lashed out at our investigation. Our investigation nailed them, and they knew it. The really bad news here is that Uzbekistan appears not to have changed its practices one iota since our investigation five years ago."

The more recent anecdotal evidence comes from Tom Rawstorne, a reporter with the Daily Mail in London. According to a March 12 article by Rawstorne, the Mail posed as a potential buyer and contacted two Uzbek fur dealers, both of whom "revealed that they were producing large quantities of broadtail—what they call 'karakultcha'."

Here's what the manager of the Bukhara Astrakhan Fur Factory dealer reportedly told Rawstorne:

"We get karakultcha from either stillborn lambs or from aborted lambs...Basically, the sheep is killed with a lamb still inside it. It's a very old practice in Uzbekistan...I remember in Soviet times that karakultcha was very fashionable among Communist Party leaders and their families. In those days, we would fatten and then, over several weeks, kill about 50,000 pregnant sheep to obtain the pelts from the unborn lambs."

The motivation to kill fetal lambs is obvious: A coat made of broadtail fur—a coat that could cost 30 fetal lambs their lives—could fetch between $13,000 and $24,000 in a high-end retail store. In other words, fetal lamb fur is likely worth more to farmers than a newborn lamb's pelt and his meat combined.

What You Can Do

Karakul and broadtail fur can turn up in coats, skirts, vests, linings, accessories, and trim. Designers who use this fur include Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce & Gabbana, Miuccia Prada, Christian Dior, Valentino, Carolina Herrera, Givenchy, and Claudio Merazzi.

One way to stop the killing of infant and fetal lambs for their fur is to stop buying the products made from their pelts. Read labels closely and look for words such as Kara-Cool, astrakhan, broadtail, Persian lamb, swakara and krimmer. And tell your friends to do the same.

We also have a number of other ways for you to help in our Karakul Action Guide. Click here to learn more.

See the Video

Karakul Lambs

Related Links

Mary Wore a Little Lamb: An Investigation into Karakul Lamb Fur

Mary Wore A Little Lamb: The Truth behind Karakul Lamb Fur

Karakul Action Guide

Questions and Answers about Fur