Submitted by NYC activists:
Due to its sale of fur, Saks Fifth Avenue has recently become the target of grassroots-organized protests and disruptions of business as usual in major cities throughout the U.S. And now NYC activists have taken the message of “Stop Selling Fur!” directly to the residence of Saks President and CEO Marc Metrick.
While fur has fallen out of favor with the public and designers around the world have stopped using fur, Saks continues to have Fur Salons that sell the fur of mink, chinchillas, rabbits, foxes, lambs, and other animals who were brutally tortured and killed. It’s well past time for Marc Metrick and Saks to end their involvement with the cruel fur industry—and we came to make that clear to him by showing up at his home, where we could not be ignored through layers of corporate red tape.
At 11:00am, we entered the lobby where an activist handed the concierge a letter (urging Saks to cut ties with the dying fur industry) addressed to Marc Metrick. We occupied the lobby for about 10 minutes with signs and a TV loudly playing undercover videos of Arctic foxes (who look like Metrick’s snow-white dog) being beaten and skinned alive on a fur farm.
At the same time as this demonstration, Metrick had a speaking engagement from home—just a few floors above—during a session at the NRF Big Show’s virtual event. We disrupted his keynote session, “Retail’s rethink moment: Re-imagining business as UN-usual with Saks Fifth Avenue and Lululemon.”
The doorman and security were called to escort us out, but that didn’t stop the demonstration. Even as four police cruisers arrived, the protest continued outside.
We ask Marc Metrick to make the connection: Your dog at home and other dogs, like Tinkerbelle The Dog, who have received your affection are no different than the animals who are caged, abused, and killed for the coats sold in your Fur Salons. Don’t ignore the truth of the cruelty for which you are responsible as long as Saks sells fur. End your relationship with the fur industry. Stop selling all fur now!