BOSTON — A group of Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish leaders in Reno is urging luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton to stop using animal fur in its clothing and other products.
In a joint statement, Orthodox Christian priest Stephen Karcher, Hindu activist Rajan Zed, Jewish rabbi ElizaBeth Webb Beyer and Buddhist priest Matthew Fisher said selling items trimmed with fur is inconsistent with the ethics and values of parent company Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
"Louis Vuitton should explore new boundaries of fur-free creative design and discontinue selling all products made from animal fur," the clerics said Thursday, calling the trend "cruel, outdated and unnecessary."
"Animals should not be made to suffer and killed to make fashion and glamorize bodies when there are other valid fashion alternatives at our disposition. Cruelty should never become fashionable," they said.
Zed is president of the Nevada-based Universal Society of Hinduism. Karcher is a priest at St. Anthony Greek Orthodox Church in Reno. Webb Beyer is rabbi at Temple Beth Or in Reno. Fisher is a priest at the Reno Buddhist Center.
Paris-based Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Zed urged LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault and other executives — as well as the fashion industry as a whole — to review the practice.
It's not the first time Zed's group has targeted Louis Vuitton. Last year, it called on the luxury goods maker to pull a yoga mat made partly of cowhide leather, calling it insensitive to practicing Hindus, who regard cows as sacred symbols of life.
San Francisco and Los Angeles are among U.S. cities with vibrant fashion sectors that have banned the sale of fur products.
Sao Paulo, Brazil, has banned the import and sale of fur since 2015, and fur farming has been outlawed in the United Kingdom for more than two decades.
