London night club Mahiki implements fur ban

Dover Street night club, Mahiki, has teamed up with animal rights group Peta to launch its first fur-free event

tonight.

The Mayfair club is said to be a favorite 'hotspot' of numerous artists, celebrities and even British royalty. However, now a neon sign has been hung outside the club's entrance that reads the word 'fur' with a slash through it and any guests who turn up wearing real fur will be turned away at the door. Other guests will be given badges upon arrival reading 'No Fur.'

The idea was kicked started by anti-fur activist and jewelry designer Meg Mathews, who is set to teach the nightclub staff how to tell the difference between faux fur – which will be allowed in the venue, and real fur which now is banned. “I imagine some noses will be out of joint, but ultimately, everyone has a choice and the move will raise awareness of the fur trade,” said Mathews to Cosmopolitan.

“Anyone who wants to be 'in' needs to know that fur is most definitely 'out',” commented Peta's associate director Mimi Bekhechi. “The hottest trend in fashion is compassion, so we applaud Mahiki for taking a stand against real fur and hope to see other clubs following suit.”

The initiative was met which such a positive response that Mahiki decided to implement a permanent ban on real fur, even though it may risk alienating some of its higher class clientèle. “I've known and loved Meg for a long time, so when she told me about the cruelty that wearing fur causes it was quite a shock, so naturally I wanted to help her and Peta,” commented Mahiki's creative director Michael Evans.

“I was just so shocked and appalled by how horribly animals suffer, for what amounts to nothing really. Since we have been around for eight years and have a huge celeb following, I thought it was the natural thing to do, to put the ban in place. I believe some people don't really understand, so teaching them and creating awareness around the issue is what we are trying to do,” added Evans.

“We are expecting a great turnout tonight for the celebration of Mahiki's new fur-free policy. In 2014, everyone knows that wearing the fur of tortured animals is a serious fashion faux pas, so anyone still clinging to those ugly furs better be ready to be left out in the cold,” concluded Bekhechi.