Dear Friends, Thank you so much for your Tweets, Facebook posts, and calls to Intermix. Within hours of my most recent update, voice mailboxes at Intermix were full and operators were inundated with additional calls from supporters asking for the sale of fur to cease. Many of you, myself included, had our calls answered by increasingly rude and impatient operators, clearly tired of innumerable calls about fur. We can be confident that Jyoti Rao, the president of Intermix, is well aware of our concern. It is clear that GAP is hoping this issue and the negative attention the corporation has received to fade away with the winter weather. Please help me continue to pressure GAP. I have recently sent a stern and detailed letter to all members of the Board of Directors. (I have included an excerpt from my letter at the bottom of this update, for those of you interested in the nature of this communication). It has been well over a week and my words have been met with silence. Please help me apply even more pressure to GAP by taking a moment to do the following: 1. Call GAP, Inc. at 650-952-4400 and press 0 to speak with an operator. Ask to leave a message with the Senior Vice President of Global Responsibility, Bobbi Silten. Please politely inform her that you will no longer support any GAP store until the inhumane and unacceptable practice of using fur in fashion is stopped. 2. On Twitter? Tweet! Click here. http://ctt.ec/2Rtb8 3. Email Art Peck, the Chief Executive Officer, at art_peck@gap.com. Politely inform him that the barbaric treatment of animals for fashion will not be tolerated and you are formally asking GAP, Inc. to become a fur free corporation immediately. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your time, effort, and compassion for animals. Sarah Excerpt from my letter to GAP directors: “In my initial discussions with the GAP representative, I was told repeatedly that Intermix fur comes from “humane fur farms”. When I questioned this term as a logical contradiction, I was told that I would be provided with additional information about these farms, including evidence that ethical standards are met. I have received nothing but empty rhetoric about the treatment of animals on such “humane fur farms”. The phrase is excellent for marketing, but equates to torture for millions (billions when rabbits are included) of animals. If the majority of fur sold at Intermix stores comes from China, a country with no animal cruelty laws, how can Gap Inc. claim this fur is ethically sourced? Countless investigations have revealed utterly sickening torture of animals on Chinese fur farms. Your customers want to know why GAP endorses this behavior. In response to my Piperlime campaign, GAP said, “We are committed to the ethical sourcing of our products, which includes the humane treatment of animals”. It is clear to all of us that you are not telling the complete truth; humane fur farms in China simply do not exist. I understand that the products sold at Intermix are not directly manufactured by GAP. However, this does not change my opinion, or the opinions of the 213,000+ supporters that have signed my petition. GAP is selling these items in its stores and therefore, is endorsing the sourcing and manufacturing of them. I am tired of being told that Intermix sells independent labels in an attempt to remove GAP from any controversy. If GAP did not agree with the manner in which these items were produced, they would simply not be for sale in Intermix stores. I wish that I could be given information other than vague statements that attempt to absolve GAP of the torture of fur-bearing animals for the sake of fashion and profit. GAP does an excellent job of projecting itself as a corporation with unwavering standards for responsible business practices. GAP touts its regard for environmental sustainability and human rights, even proclaiming its aspiration to “do more than sell clothes”. Please know that your customers are not blind to the hypocrisy behind this veneer of compassion. How can you claim to value the environment while endorsing the barbaric treatment of the animals that inhabit the very land you claim to respect? It appears GAP’s “do more” slogan is merely a convenient image to project, not a moral standard that is consistent with corporate behavior. In response to my Piperlime petition, GAP stated, “your opinions and views matter to us” and “we are committed to our customers”. The 52,000 supporters of this campaign were elated that GAP acted so quickly and ceased the sale of fur at Piperlime stores. It has now come to light that GAP will soon close Piperlime stores, which seems to be a parsimonious explanation for the immediate response to my campaign. Why, after only 52,000 signatures, did GAP agree to stop selling fur at Piperlime, while the 213,000 signatures on the current Intermix campaign have failed to yield anything other than an unsatisfactory few communications from a representative? It appears that GAP capitalized on the Piperlime campaign as an opportunity to project the image that it listens to the concerns of its customers. I assure you that any positive media attention from the Piperlime “victory” has been erased now that the true colors of this corporation have come to light. It seems that when there is money to be made, respect for living creatures and the concerns of your customers are quickly pushed aside.”