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Michael Kors: Protecting Lambs Is Not A Luxury

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Michael Kors: Protecting Lambs Is Not A Luxury

Michael Kors is failing lambs – and failing consumers. In a new FOUR PAWS investigation, detailed in the report “Behind the Wool: Transparency on Live Lamb Cutting in Fashion”, the luxury fashion brand ranks worst among 100+ brands for transparency and action on live lamb cutting (LLC is also known as mulesing) – a brutal and outdated mutilation found in half of global wool in fashion. 

It’s time for Michael Kors to commit to wool free from live lamb cutting.

What is live lamb cutting (LLC)?

Every year, 10 million lambs suffer excruciating pain due to LLC. LLC is a practice where lambs as young as two weeks old have skin, bigger than the palm of your hand, and flesh cut from around their tails and genitals, without adequate pain relief. Despite effective alternatives, the fashion industry continues to source wool from this cruelty.

FOUR PAWS’ latest report reveals:

  • 67% of brands lack transparency on wool’s biggest issue: LLC – either in their sourcing policies, product labelling, or both 
  • 84% oppose LLC, but only 33% disclose LLC-free certifications at the product level leaving most consumers unable to make informed decisions 
  • Michael Kors scored zero for transparency, certification and commitment
About the report

In 2025, FOUR PAWS investigated 102 brands in eleven countries through in-store visits and online research to assess: 

  • Wool sourcing policies and 
  • Product labelling transparency 
  • Commitment to excluding LLC wool
Michael Kors: Luxury without accountability

Michael Kors, the iconic American fashion brand founded in 1981 in New York by designer Michael David Kors, has grown into a global powerhouse with over 1,000 stores and $3B in annual revenue, but when it comes to animal welfare, the brand is falling behind. Known for its luxury apparel and accessories, the brand is selling large volumes of wool items. Despite its scale and influence, Michael Kors has no policy on live lamb cutting (LLC) – the most severe and outdated routine mutilation of lambs in the wool industry. This is alarming given that LLC is involved in over half of global wool production. Without action, brands like Michael Kors risk enabling cruelty in their supply chains.

While competitors like Burberry and Calvin Klein are committed to use only certified LLC-free wool, Michael Kors remains silent and resistant to change. It’s time for Michael Kors to take responsibility and commit to wool free from live lamb cutting.

Take action: Tell Michael Kors to protect lambs

Michael Kors has ignored FOUR PAWS’ outreach, failed to disclose measures in their wool sourcing policy, and has not committed to certified LLC-free wool. This lack of action places the brand at the bottom of the industry when it comes to animal welfare.

Source: Four Paws

Woolrich: Still Ignoring Animal Cruelty

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© FOUR PAWS | Fred Dott

Woolrich: Still Ignoring Animal Cruelty

The last big outdoor brand to sell fur from raccoon dogs and other species – Will Woolrich’s Arctic Parkas soon be without animal fur?

Woolrich is one of the last international fashion brands without a fur-free policy even though most of its competitors – including Canada Goose, The North Face, Parajumpers, Patagonia, Fjällräven, MAMMUT, Jack Wolfskin and Napapijri – are already or have gone fur-free. Fur production is cruel to animals, bad for the environment, a risk to public health and completely unnecessary since quality alternatives are available.

URGE WOOLRICH TO GO FUR FREE

While the Italian brand offers a wide range of clothing, their parkas are the only items with fur. They use fur from raccoon dogs, coyotes and foxes as trim for the hoods of their parkas – even for children’s jackets. Woolrich purchases most fur from Finnish auction house Saga Furs, which prides itself with only selling fur coming from certified farms. But the voluntary certification scheme of the European fur industry (WelFur) is designed around the cruel cage system that we all know. Animals on Saga certified fur farms endure a short life in tiny wire mesh cages without opportunities to fulfil their basic needs. Only to be inhumanely killed after a few months and end up as trim on a Woolrich parka.  

And it’s not just farms. In North America, wild animals like coyotes are caught in brutal traps that rarely cause immediate death and result in immense pain and stress before the animals are killed by either drowning, suffocation or bludgeoning.  

The cruel devices do not discriminate. Pets, deer and countless other animals are often maimed or killed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and many suffer for days without food or water before dying.

The truth is simple: every fur product is rooted in animal suffering.  

While Woolrich emphasises its sustainability efforts, they fail to address the environmental impact of using animal fur for fashion. While the fur industry try to position fur as a sustainable product, in truth the practice has a severe impact on our environment, especially on ecosystems close to fur farms. Keeping thousands of animals on fur farms requires many resources: water, feed, and energy. The accumulating animal waste often drains into local soil and waterways, polluting both. 

But there’s also good news – fashion is evolving. More and more iconic brands and retailers are embracing cruelty-free style by going fur-free. You don’t need fur to make a statement – your values are your boldest accessory.