FDNY hits back at PETA over Canada Goose collaboration controversy

By

Robin Driver

Published
Apr 6, 2018

The FDNY Foundation, the New York City Fire Department’s official non-profit organization, has released an official statement refuting claims made in a PETA release which stated that the organization felt remorse over its recent The Bravest Coat collaboration with Toronto-based winter clothing manufacturer Canada Goose Inc., and would never be working with the company again.
 

In the FDNY statement, published on Thursday evening, Steve Ruzow, chairman of the FDNY Foundation, described PETA’s claims as a “false narrative, filled with misinformation.”
 
“While our jacket does not feature fur or down, we are confident in Canada Goose’s transparency about how they make their products, including the ethical sourcing and responsible use of animal products,” he stated. “We are proud to collaborate with a company who shares so many of our own values and we would be thrilled to collaborate with them again.”

The PETA statement to which Ruzow was responding, released earlier on Thursday, reads “After PETA alerted the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) to a potential firestorm over its participation in a public-relations stunt by outdoor-clothing retailer Canada Goose, the chair of the FDNY Foundation reviewed damning video footage and other information and confirmed to PETA that the FDNY will never work with Canada Goose again.”

The statement continues, claiming that fur used in Canada Goose coats is taken from coyotes which are trapped and bludgeoned to death, while the down the company uses comes from mistreated geese.
 
In response to Ruzow’s denial of the claims, PETA representative Ashley Byrne has since issued a statement, contending “Our statement is accurate,” adding, “I don’t know what sort of pressure might have come from Canada Goose regarding their contract, but I know what was discussed in our call,” referring to a phone conversation in which the FDNY chairman allegedly expressed his regret about the collaboration to PETA.
 
The collaboration in question, The Bravest Coat, is a limited-edition run of 400 coats made to resemble the New York City Fire Department’s uniform. Pieces feature patches representing five local NYC firehouses, but do not contain fur or down.
 
Each coat retails for $695 and proceeds from sales will go towards the FDNY’s community projects, including fire safety education programs and efforts to install smoke detectors in neighborhoods that are particularly susceptible to fires.
 
The Bravest Coat launched on Thursday with a video spotlighting firefighters and their communities, and is now available at Canada Goose locations in NYC, Toronto, London, and Tokyo, as well as on the brand’s e-commerce site.

Canada Goose is yet to respond to the controversy surrounding the collaboration.