What do Jay-Z and Diddy have in common besides being hugely successful hip-hop superstars and masters of their very expansive domains? Both of their clothing lines are going to the dogs.
Literally.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, tests have revealed that supposedly "faux fur" jackets sold via Hova's Rocawear Website contain hair from raccoon dogs.
"It is abhorrent that someone purchasing what they think is 'faux fur' is actually getting fur from a type of dog that may have been skinned alive," said Wayne Pacelle, CEO and president of the animal rights organization. "False advertising and labeling of raccoon dog fur is rampant in the fashion industry, and the amount of potential consumer deception is staggering."
A Humane Society investigator carried out tests using mass spectrometry techniques to determine the origin of the fur in Jay-Z's Rocawear jackets and found that it derived from a canine species native to Asia that resembles a raccoon. Raccoon dogs, as they're called, have a hard-knock life as far as pooches go. In China, where many designer apparel is manufactured, the animals are oftentimes skinned alive for their pelts, which in turn gets mislabeled as faux fur.
According to the group, raccoon dog fur has shown up on the racks at such retail giants as J.C. Penney, Burlington Coat Factory, Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue and has included in fashion lines like Sean "Diddy" Combs' Sean John Clothing, Kimora Lee Simmons' Baby Phat and now Jigga's Rocawear threads.
The Humane Society said it had informed Jay-Z and Rocawear about the problem over a week ago, but no corrective action was taken and the jackets were still featured on the fashion firm's Website, retailing for $265.
However, on Tuesday, a Rocawear spokesperson told E! Online that as soon as Jay-Z learned about the faux fur faux pas, he and his company did like Diddy and pulled the offending garments.
"We were not aware that our product included raccoon dog materials," the rep said. "We have immediately instructed all manufacturers and licensees that no product can be produced using this fur. In addition we have removed those items from our Website."
Those caught falsely marketing raccoon dog hair in items labeled faux fur may be found in violation of the Fur Products Labeling Act, which carries fines of up to $5,000 for each violation and the confiscation of such products. However, fur-laced attire whose value is $150 or less is not required to have a fur label, a loophole the Humane Society is lobbying Congress to close.
When the fur isn't flying, the rapper otherwise known as Shawn Carter has been busy promoting Kingdom Come, his first album since coming out retirement last year, running Def Jam Records and spending some quality time with g-f Beyoncé Knowles. The couple made a fur-free appearance at the Golden Globes Monday; earlier this month they were spotted house-hunting in the Dominican Republic.