Canada Goose CEO vows to continue using animal fur, company shares soar in IPO
TORONTO — The head of Canada Goose vowed Thursday to keep using animal fur in its parkas rather than bow to activist pressure as shares of the luxury brand soared nearly 27 per cent in its initial public offering in Toronto.
“We’re not looking to change our plans (to use fur) in response to a loud but vocal minority,” said president and CEO Dani Reiss as the company made its debut on the Toronto and New York stock markets.
Reiss, whose grandfather founded the company 60 years ago, said Canada Goose has long used duck down feathers and coyote fur in its jackets and is comfortable with the practice because it is a “functional first brand.”
“Additionally to that, we make a lot of jackets,” he said. “A lot of jackets we make don’t have fur on them. We know that wearing different products is a personal choice and we offer products for everybody.”