FROM FUR TO FAUX: CHICAGO MOVES TOWARD GOING FUR FREE

One thing about Chicago, you’ll either be wearing a Pelle Pelle or a fur coat, which has been a staple in the city for many years.

According to CBS News, under the city ordinance, fur retailers in Chicago could no longer sell real fur coats. They could only sell those made with synthetic materials. The measure would ban new fur from being sold in the city, and would affect six Chicago furriers — including Andriana Furs and another Beverly neighborhood furrier, Island Furs at 1827 W. 103rd St.

The City Council License and Consumer Protection Committee approved and advanced the fur ban on Tuesday in the name of fighting animal cruelty. The full City Council still must take a vote on it.

The owner and cofounder of Island Furs, Gerard Brown, said if the store went synthetic, the coats would not have the authentic lines seen on real fur coats — and the price tag, instead of the $18,000 that a real fur coat at Island Furs is going for now, would be more like $700.

Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) is the primary sponsor of the ordinance.

“Times are changing, and we want to help them change with them,” Lopez said. “We know that it’s a very inhumane process of capturing, raising, and then skinning these animals — oftentimes gassing them in a very horrific manner.”

Lopez said the goal is to help the six furriers evolve and work with synthetic designers to show what is possible.

If the full Council approves the ordinance championed by Ald. Ray Lopez, Chicago would climb aboard a fur-free bandwagon that already includes 16 U.S. cities and the state of California.