A Barney’s mailer arrived for my wife today and inside was this funky looking backpack of leather and fur. Take a closer look at what kind of fur in the lower left corner above the style number: nutria fur.
Nutria. Giant water rodents. Say that out loud, giant water rodents. Giant rodents are now the source of fur for high fashion? What?!? Next thing you’ll start hearing about cockroach farms, oh right they do that in China.
National Geographic says this about nutria “Nutria are large, web-footed rodents… (also called coypu) are varied eaters… live in large colonies, reproducing prolifically.” Great, two foot tall rodents reproducing prolifically, just what we need.
In Louisiana, nutria are such a problem tearing up the state they even have a bounty on the critters. And how about a cajun style nutria recipe, delicious no?
I guess if the darn rodents are destroying everything, why not destroy them and put their fur to good use. Although won’t PETA throw blood at you for wearing rodent fur?
Look, I understand if there is a desperate attempt to reduce rodents the by-product might as well get put to use, although you won’t catch me eating these things. But the fur in this haute couture bag at Barney’s is imported from Argentina! What, isn’t Louisiana nutria good enough for Marni, the company making the bag?
The least we could do is help our cajun friends before helping the flailing Argentine economy.
Would you pay $2,070 for a rodent bag?
