Under the ownership of Mohamed Al-Fayed, the House of Fraser group—including Cardiff’s historic Howells department store—became embroiled in controversy over its continued sale of animal fur. The dispute escalated beyond demonstrations and public criticism: in the late 1980s, animal-rights activists petrol-bombed Howells, as well as House of Fraser’s flagship Harrods store and its Plymouth branch. The attacks placed a mainstream British retail chain at the center of the era’s increasingly militant anti-fur movement, demonstrating how luxury and department-store merchandising had become targets of direct physical protest. House of Fraser subsequently sought to defuse the controversy through an ethical-sourcing policy that included a commitment not to use fur products in its clothing. The episode forms part of the broader transformation of fur from a conventional marker of luxury into one of fashion’s most politically contentious materials.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1980s
The Late-1980s Fur War That Turned Howells into a Petrol-Bomb Target
House of Fraser / Howells / 1980s
Under the ownership of Mohamed Al-Fayed, the House of Fraser group—including Cardiff’s historic Howells department store—became embroiled in controversy over its continued sale of animal fur. The dispute escalated beyond demonstrations and public criticism: in the late 1980s, animal-rights activists petrol-bombed Howells, as well as House of Fraser’s flagship Harrods store and its Plymouth branch. The attacks placed a mainstream British retail chain at the center of the era’s increasingly militant anti-fur movement, demonstrating how luxury and department-store merchandising had become targets of direct physical protest. House of Fraser subsequently sought to defuse the controversy through an ethical-sourcing policy that included a commitment not to use fur products in its clothing. The episode forms part of the broader transformation of fur from a conventional marker of luxury into one of fashion’s most politically contentious materials.
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