San Francisco Has Banned Fur

San Francisco is taking Donatella Versace's lead, becoming the first major U.S. city to ban fur following a vote by city supervisors. The ban on fur will go into effect January 1, 2019 and will extend from major items like coats to smaller accessories like gloves and key chains. An amendment has been added that retailers have until January 1, 2020 to sell their existing stock.

"I hope that it inspires other cities and the country to take action. Certainly we need better federal regulations on fur farming," said supervisor Katy Tang, according to the Hollywood Reporter. "There's no humane way to raise an animal to peel its skin off."

The ban -- which does not extend to secondhand fur, sheepskin or lambskin -- follows neighboring cities Berkley and West Hollywood's own anti-fur initiatives. The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce estimates that fur sales in the city near $40 million a year, making the ban a blow to the economy. But with fur being somewhat out of fashion thanks to big-name fashion houses like Versace, Gucci and Tom Ford, perhaps an upswing in faux fur sales could be in the future?