Dast2Dast

Another music-to-fashion crossover artist—this time Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, who famously rapped that he had "99 problems" — was revealed to be selling fur from a type of dog, but the fur was described as "faux."

The HSUS purchased a "faux fur" jacket from Jay-Z's Rocawear website, and sent it for lab testing to find out exactly what animal the fur really belonged to. The test showed that the fur was taken from raccoon dogs — a type of dog raised for fur in China.

Just weeks ago, hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and Macy’s department store pulled a Sean John brand jacket that was being advertised as faux fur, after tests commissioned by The HSUS revealed the fur was actually from raccoon dogs. Diddy announced that this particular coat would be trimmed only with faux fur in the future.

Jay-Z’s "faux fur" - advertised coat had no fur labeling on the jacket, so consumers have no way to know that what they think is faux is actually from raccoon dogs, who may have been skinned alive. The HSUS is working to pass legislation closing the federal loophole that currently allows coats with fur valued at $150 or less to have no label.

The latest revelations come as The HSUS continues to investigate the nationwide scourge of falsely advertised and labeled raccoon dog fur, often coming from China, where live skinning has been documented (warning: graphic footage). False advertising and labeling of fur garments are violations of federal law, and The HSUS has found problems on jackets by retailers and designers at all price levels. Mass spectrometry testing of fur-trimmed jackets from a variety of designers and retailers revealed that nine out of 10 were found to contain raccoon dog fur.

After it was discovered late last month that the J.C. Penney Co. was selling raccoon dog fur-trimmed jackets falsely labeled as "raccoon," the company removed the jackets from its racks. However, according to press reports this month, the company put the canine coats back on its racks and asked employees to black out the word "raccoon" with magic markers

Because the fur industry does not police itself, and consumers who purchase any fur-trimmed garments cannot be sure whether they are buying a type of dog fur, The HSUS is calling on Congress to prohibit the import of raccoon dog fur.