Horror as 'sheepskin' vest sold in Melbourne shopping centre is revealed to be made from two domestic cats, sparking outrage from animal welfare advocates

Sky News AU

8 hours ago

A children's vest sold as "100 per cent Australian sheepskin or wool" has been found to contain the fur of two domestic cats, igniting renewed calls for a crackdown on fur sales in Victoria.
The discovery was made after forensic testing by UK-based fibre analysis firm Microtex confirmed the vest, sold by Suttons UGG, was made of both domestic cat and rabbit fur.
The product was being sold in a Melbourne shopping centre.
"This vest has one cat skin on the front and one cat skin on the back, as well as rabbit fur," Collective Fashion Justice founder Emma Hakansson, who ordered the tests after receiving a tip-off from a concerned shopper, told the press on Thursday.
Suttons UGG, which operates shopfronts in Sydney and Melbourne, is not affiliated with Australian manufacturer UGG.
The forensic analysis also revealed two beanies sold at Queen Victoria Markets were mislabelled as acrylic despite containing pompoms made from fox and raccoon dog fur.
Raccoon dogs (a mix between raccoons, dogs, and wolves) are often subjected to extreme cruelty in overseas fur farms, with advocates claiming they are electrocuted, bludgeoned, or skinned alive.
The revelations have triggered fresh demands from both the Collective Fashion Justice and the Animal Justice Party for a complete ban on fur sales and imports across Victoria.
"Consumers could be out there buying this, and then going out and wearing domestic cats," Animal Justice MP for Nothern Victoria Georgie Purcell said.
While the import and export of cat and dog fur has been banned in Australia since 2004, misleading product labelling remains a growing concern.
Under Australian Consumer Law, companies can face penalties of up to $50 million, and individuals up to $2.5 million, for false or misleading claims about products.
In 2020, Consumer Affairs Victoria found that every single fur item tested as part of its investigation was mislabelled.
Several businesses were issued warnings, and at least one committed to ending fur sales altogether.
Hakansson said the practice of mislabelling fur is widespread.
"Every single time we have sent fur for testing the lab has confirmed it was illegally mislabelled and this has been true for years now,' she said.
Off the back of the latest discovery, Ms Purcell is urging the Victorian Government to introduce an immediate statewide fur ban.
"This isn't the first time that we've found cat fur being sold by a Melbourne retailer – and if the Allan Government doesn't act, it won't be the last," she said.
The MP emphasised that the Victorian Government had no problem quickly banning machetes in response to the recent youth crime wave.
"We think they (the government) should treat this with as much seriousness," she told the ABC.
"We don't need another task force. We know that this is a problem, we know that the fur industry is cruel, we know that it's outdated."
The revelations sparked fury online, with social media users expressing shock and disgust.
"This is so disgusting. Thank you for speaking up about this," one person wrote on Instagram.
"So horrific, thank you for investigating," said another.
A third commenter said that "not all fur is cruel" but agreed that "all fur should be labelled correctly".
SkyNews.com.au has contacted Suttons UGG for comment.