Neiman Marcus accused of selling fake fur that was real

DETROIT — The Humane Society of the United States has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, accusing Neiman Marcus of selling products made with fake fur that actually is real fur.

At issue is three types of boots, which have what could be described as fake faux fur.

Neiman Marcus has been accused of this before; in 2013, it settled charges of the same nature.

The luxury retailer is being accused of false or deceptive advertising, false or deceptive labeling and violations of the consent order, which is punishable by a civil penalty of as much as $16,000 per violation, according to the complaint filed this week.

Dallas-based Neiman Marcus did not respond to several requests for comment. Also not commenting are the two footwear companies, Aquatalia and Taryn Rose.

"As a result of this deception, consumers who may have allergies to fur, ethical objections to fur, or a concern about the use of certain species, cannot make informed purchasing choices," the Humane Society said in its complaint. "Furthermore, the false marketing of animal fur apparel as 'faux' likely causes damage to those apparel companies legitimately selling actual faux fur, whose customers, or potential customers, may be misled into purchasing a competitor's falsely advertised animal fur product or who may be hesitant to purchase their legitimate faux fur product due to a lack of confidence in the claim."

The Humane Society said it found this footwear on the Neiman Marcus website:

• Aquatalia Shelby Faux-Fur Ankle Boot — the retailer subsequently confirmed it contained real fur, though the animal was unspecified, and amended the online description.

• Aquatalia Rebecca Faux-Fur Buckle Boot — the label said "Real Fur, Dyed Rabbit" and the retailer edited the product description on the site.

• Taryn Rose Fizzy Faux-Fur Bootie — the label said "Real Fur from rabbit, Fur Origin China" and the description remained as such as late as April 6.

None of the three were on www.neimanmarcus.com as of Thursday.

"It would upsetting if I bought an article of clothing or food which I think is vegan and it turns out not to be," said Michele Fife, with the advocacy group Vegan Michigan. "I suspect Neiman Marcus was duped as well. They purchase things from manufacturers, like maybe from China, and they're told it's fake fur, but it's real fur from cats, dogs and rabbits."

The 50-year-old Rockford resident, who has been a vegan for 11 years and a vegetarian for 25, said if she'd bought any of the boots, she would return them.

"Neiman Marcus should take a stand and pull all the items of that brand. It would be a peaceful protest," she said. "It would make me, a buyer, doubt the validity of anything else that manufacturer was trying to sell me and how they were sourcing it."

Under the federal Fur Products Labeling Act, labels on fur products must include information including what animal and what country it comes from, with some exceptions.