The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade is excited to announce its first national week of action against fur.

From February 7 to 15th, cities around the continent will be fighting back for the victims of the fur industry.

The grassroots of our movement is at its strongest when we work together to exert concerted pressure on the corporations that perpetrate violence against animals. These companies are national and transnational – and we must be too.

On Friday, January 15, we will announce our next campaign against an American designer. We think that this week of action will help them understand that continuing to use fur in 2021 means that their business will now exist in a constant state of siege. We will also be focusing on Saks Fifth Avenue, in support of that longer-term campaign’s escalation. Let’s show these two businesses some extra special Valentine’s Day attention.

Monique Lhuillier capitulated to our last campaign after actions in two cities. Let’s see if the next designer can stand the heat when activists swarm stores all over the country.

Every local group is invited and implored to participate. We have no rules, no barriers to entry, and no authority over your actions. If you want help, simply contact us, and we will be there to assist every step of the way.

We ask only that you bring your passion and dedication – and send us an action report with pictures when you’re done. This ensures that the top executives of these companies will hear about even the smallest protests in the smallest corner of the country. And it inspires others to get active. When we all work together at the same time against the same companies, even one person holding a sign in front of a store is able to make a real difference.

The fur industry is at an all-time low: the last North American fur auction house is bankrupt, the world’s largest fur auction house is closing, the world’s top mink-producing country has ended mink farming, and Covid continues to ravage mink farms and retail clothing sales worldwide. The animals suffering on fur farms need you now. This is the time to strike, and strike hard.

After fourteen days and four actions, Monique Lhuillier has conceded.

On November 27, CAFT USA launched the Monique Lhuillier Cruelty Campaign. On December 10, Monique Lhuillier, Inc., contacted PETA to announce that they were going fur free.

The campaign consisted of the following actions:
• a kickoff protest at the Monique Lhuillier flagship store in West Hollywood
• five minutes of chalking at the store
• a protest at JJ Kelly Bridal, an Oklahoma City store holding a trunk show of Monique’s bridal collection
• a phone action encouraging people to call JJ Kelly Bridal during the protest

Much, much more was planned. But in two weeks, we won a victory for animals on fur farms.

Lessons from the Campaign
Secondary targeting works
The deciding factor in Monique’s concession was the protest and phone action against JJ Kelly Bridal. Trunk shows are a vital part of Monique’s business strategy. And due to the protest, this store locked their doors, on a Saturday during a publicly advertised event.

This single protest at a Midwestern shop with no fur was worth five at her flagship in West Hollywood. It went beyond the symbolic, to threaten her business interests.

We had further secondary targets lined up – bridal stores around the country, and a friendly national furniture chain (including planned protests at the houses of the corporate officers and directors of that chain). But Monique caved immediately upon realizing our strategy: campaigning against her business partners and making her company into an untouchable industry pariah.

Does it sound strange or uncomfortable to protest at a bridal store? Does it feel more sentimental and satisfying to protest at a store that actually has fur inside? Our answer is: it doesn’t matter. The animals are suffering right now. They do not care what feels good. They care what works.

And secondary targeting works.

Concrete goals for concrete results
This was a results-based campaign, with a specific, measurable, winnable goal. We did not have to guess at whether our actions were succeeding in changing something: we know they did.

People like winning. When we define victory and then achieve it, this builds our movement. It builds momentum to move onto bigger victories. And it prevents burnout.

Concrete successes can be a vital part of reaching our ultimate goal of total liberation.

Work smarter, not harder
The campaign involved hours upon hours of hard work, preparation, and planning. But we knew that work would have an outsized impact, because we took time to strategize.

We could have randomly protested different fur designers every weekend. We could have protested only outside of Monique’s storefronts. Instead, we sat down, mapped out Monique’s business, and determined what would most affect its bottom line.

We have finite time and resources. Let’s use them wisely.

Onto the Next
Monique Lhuillier is a stepping stone in the broader war on fur. We will build on this victory with another pressure campaign against a larger designer. Meanwhile, we will keep heat on longer-term targets, such as Saks Fifth Avenue. Together, we will dismantle the fur trade.

Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade – United States