(NEW YORK) Lisa Smilor, associate director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, sent out an email to the organization's members on Wednesday alerting them to an anti-fur demonstration the NYC Animal Rights Group was planning, specifically targeting Nicole Miller and her use of fur, during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Miller's show date, location, and time were subsequently posted on the anti-fur group's Web site, with a link established encouraging participants to sign up for the rally.The message from the NYC Animal Rights Group read:Hello Everyone,Twice a year designers come together at Bryant Park to present their new designs to retail buyers and the world. It's a trend-setting event, attended by celebrities and covered by the global media. NYC Animal Rights has been there for the past 5 years - to remind the world and the fashion industry that animal cruelty should never be in style.September 5th, 2007 will be the opening day for Fashion Week in NYC. Animal Rights will be there to welcome them and protest Nicole Miller. Please visit our new website: NicoleKiller.com.Why Nicole? Because she uses fur and she doesn't want any bad publicity about it. She threatened to sue the NY Times last year when they inaccurately reported that we were protesting her instead of Kimora Lee Simmons. This is a huge media event and we need everyone that is available to be there to come. It's only 1.5 hrs and you can stop by on the way home from work. I will bring everything. We will have two screens showing clips of the fur trade, a huge banner that says "NicoleKiller.com + graphics" and I will make as many colorful signs as people RSVP for.Remember, this is the fashion event of the year and it's opening night! Dress sharp and let's show the world and Nicole Miller the difference between fashion sense and fashion non-sense. PLEASE RSVP TODAY! We need your support. Location is 6 Ave and 41st. Get directions at HopSpot.Smilor, concerned for the welfare of all the designers showing, further advised that Miller's show may not be the only fashion show and Bryant Park may not be the only venue that this group is planning to target. "Share this information with your security and front-of-house teams," she wrote. "On behalf of Diane von Furstenberg and Steven Kolb, our best wishes to you for a successful Fashion Week!"Miller, along with Bud Konheim, chief executive officer of Nicole Miller Ltd., released the following statement to The Daily on Friday:"Unless NYC Animal Rights is confused about our business, we feel that we are being targeted for an anti-fur demonstration on September 5 because our company name rhymes with 'killer,' and because our show is well-known for opening New York Fashion Week.No fur was ever planned for the Spring 2008 runway with which the threatened protest would coincide.In 2007, we will design, manufacture, and market 150,000 pieces of women's designer clothing in 1,090 styles. Of that total, 12 pieces will have fur trim. This amounts to .008 percent of the items we will sell-which means that 99.992 percent of the garments we will design and manufacture are fur-free. This is historically typical of our product offering every year.Further, we feel the characterizations of us made by NYC Animal Rights on an insulting parody Web site that used our imagery without our authorization are unfair, misleading, and in violation of the law. An accurate portrayal of us would have been that we are one of a handful of self-sustaining, independent fashion design houses operating in the United States-one of the few creative, independent voices left in New York-and one continuously reviewing its products and business practices with a socially conscious eye. In addition, we manufacture roughly half of our designer collection apparel in New York City using union labor-a track record very few can match.We ourselves are animal lovers and have a history of supporting charities that protect and preserve animals and the earth-the Rocky Mountain Institute, Riverkeeper, and Save the Manatees to name just a few. Fur is not, has never been, and never will be a focus of our business.In reflecting upon our creative and personal philosophies, we are fur free from the Spring 2008 collection forward. This is in line with our values and priorities, and the already 99.92 percent fur-free nature of our business.We do not intend for this statement to be seen as any endorsement of NYC Animal Rights nor any other organization using illegal, bullying, intimidating, or violent actions in support of any cause."A spokesman for the NYC Animal Rights, upon learning of Miller and Konheim's comments, stated, "We at NYC Animal Rights are thrilled that Nicole Miller has finally made the move to go fur free. It was a smart business decision that all designers should follow."
Credit JIM SHI
