An alternative to Black Friday: Fur Free Friday

London - Although the Friday after Thanksgiving is widely known across the United States and Europe as Black Friday, there is another growing movement taking place on the same day: International Fur Free Friday.

Over 200 events will be taking place across the globe this Friday in protest against the fur industry and the fashion industry's continual use of fur, including protests in major cities such as Los Angeles, London, Paris and Warsaw. Events taking place in the UK include protests outside of Canada Goose newly opened flagship store in London and gatherings at Lush stores in Liverpool and Brighton.

Also known as Worldwide Fur Free Friday, the initiative was originally launched in 2013 by the international Anti-Fur Coalition and is supporting by animal rights organisations including PETA, Last Chance for Animals and the Humane Society. Increased interest in the initiative comes as more major fashion brands, including Gucci, Hugo Boos and The Kooples pledge to go fur-free and opt for faux fur.

However, despite the growing interest in faux fur, real fur is often mislabelled or falsely labelled as fake fur. The price of the item is no longer a reliable indicator if an item is real or not since some faux fur can be most costly to produce than the real thing, which is why consumers are encouraged to learn how to spot the difference between real and faux fur.

Photo: PETA