Capitalizing off ‘Canada’: The scoop on fur-loving winter apparel companies

Image: Fox on Finnish fur farm (Credit: Oikeutta Eläimille). Moose Knuckles gets their fur from factories like these.

Canada Goose Parka with coyote fur trim

Most of us know a Canada Goose coat when we see one, and some Canadians seem to think it’s their patriotic duty to own one. CEO Dani Reiss loves that people think Canadians live in igloos, and is proud that Canada Goose has become the “Land Rover of outerwear” (though the environmental effects of the fur trade make a Canada Goose parka more like a Hummer).

Reiss may have to watch out though, as there are some new kids on the block that have found it’s quite a lucrative business imitating the Canada Goose micro-fad. Below is a breakdown of some of the prominent Canada Goose wannabes that you see out on the streets every day:

Moose Knuckles parka made with farmed fox fur.

Moose Knuckles: Best described as a company that manages to come off as Canada Goose’s even more annoying younger brother, Moose Knuckles is another brand determined to jump on the ‘patriotic-winter-wear’ bandwagon. Founded by Will Poho and Mark Peros (allegedly former Canada Goose employees), Peros has since split and started CMFR (described below). Moose Knuckles brags that they are the “class clown of the global schoolhouse”, but we fail to see what’s funny about decorating the hoods of your coats with farmed fox fur from Finland. You know what we do find funny? That Moose Knuckles thinks their coats are anything other than the embarrassing uniform of the urban follower.

CMFR:While Canada Goose and Moose Knuckles have focused their marketing efforts on convincing people with too much money that walking to your car in the morning is practically hiking your way across the Northern tundra in a blizzard, CMFR’s angle appears to focus more on frowning models (they’re probably moping because their Mom accidentally bought them a CMFR parka thinking it was a Canada Goose). Make no mistake, this brand is every bit as cruel as Canada Goose, and why shouldn’t it be? The founder, Mark Peros, worked at Canada Goose, then founded Moose Knuckles and then CMFR!

OSC parka featuring coyote fur

Outdoor Survival Canada: DO YOU WANT TO DIE THIS WINTER?! Probably not. So grab yourself an Outdoor Survival Canada parka if you want to, you know, survive! As if their melodramatic moniker isn’t bad enough, they go and use coyote fur. Then they say they “are sensitive to the ethical issues involving the fair use of fur”. Huh? What does “fair use” mean? We believe in fair use too! We think it’s fair to use fur, if you were born with it attached to you.

Nobis: Robin Yates, a former principal of Canada Goose launched Nobis in 2008, because one type of animal suffering just wasn’t enough. His pride and joy? The ‘She-Ra’, a parka with coyote trim and a Rex rabbit collar. He claims to have created a line that improves upon Canada Goose and one thing’s for sure– he’s definitely shown he can outdo them when it comes to cruelty.

Mackage coats: the epitome of overkill. Literally.

Mackage: Eran Eflassy and Elisa Dahan founded Mackage to prove that “a woman does not have to feel like a Goodyear” to be warm, and on that, we actually agree! But we also don’t think a woman has to give Cruella de Vil a run for her money in order to be warm. Their coats feature decorative coyote or raccoon fur trim. Nothing says “elegant” like a total disregard for other animals.

Rudsak and Soia & Kyo: These two companies claim to be the epitome of class, but there’s nothing classy about using fur, and certainly not fur labeled as ‘raccoon’. It’s a well known fact that fur labeled as ‘raccoon’ or ‘Asiatic raccoon’ or ‘Finnish raccoon’, is almost without exception fur from a Raccoon dog. Raccoon dogs are a member of the dog family native to eastern Asia. Confined to tiny cages on fur farms in China and Finland, they are routinely skinned alive. While they do bear a superficial resemblance to raccoons, raccoon dogs belong exclusively to the Canidae (dog) family and are not related to the Procyonidae (raccoon) family. Someone wearing a Rudsak or Soia & Kyo jacket is very likely wearing their dog’s cousin.

As you can see, while Canada Goose leads the charge on using animals as decorative fabric, non-creative designers are all too keen to follow in their regressive footsteps. Take some time to familiarize yourself with these companies, and be sure to let them know what you think about their decision to use fur.

Cruelty-Free Options:

The Yupik from Fjallraven– a totally animal-free parka!

Check out all the animal-free options from: Arc’teryx, Fjällräven, Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC), Columbia Sportswear, Patagonia, Helly Hansen, Hoodlamb, and Vaute Couture!

If you’re considering opting for a fur-free coat, please consider making it down-free as well. Down is obtained in extremely cruel ways so we encourage people to look for puffy coats made with PrimaLoft, a synthetic microfibre insulator originally developed for the US Army as a water resistant alternative to down. Today, Primaloft is the premier supplier of insulation to the US Army, Marines and Special Forces. Here is a list of brands that use Primaloft.