The Elusive Goose of Georgetown University
Many a meme on the Facebook page “georgetown memes for non-conforming jesuit teens” centers on an epidemic that has spread from Toronto to Georgetown--the Canada Goose epidemic. During the winter, it seemed as if almost every other person on the Georgetown campus sported one of those jackets with a luxurious fur lining and a small red, white and blue logo on the left sleeve.
Canada Goose jackets first became popular among film crews who had to work in extreme cold conditions. But partially due to their exorbitant price they have become international status symbols. Although the logo is inconspicuous, it signals to those in the know that the wearer can afford a parka that costs as much as $1,600.
In 2018, according to Euromonitor, an independent strategic market research provider, the market for luxury goods in the United States reached approximately 192 billion dollars. Today’s generation of consumers understands the negative consequences of their fashion choices, but do they act on their moral beliefs when it’s time to buy?
Georgetown senior, Claire, 22, wears a navy blue Canada Goose parka. She explains that she wanted a high quality jacket because she gets cold easily, and she “saw that everyone was wearing it and [she] knew it was really good quality.” When asked if she did research on the brand before buying the coat, she quickly answered “no.” Her peers’ selection of the product served as an endorsement.
For 21-year-old Daphne Blunt, a luxury beauty influencer and Georgetown sophomore, this reasoning is not surprising. “I do think that we live in an age where logo mania is a huge trend. Anything that has some kind of designer label holds some kind of clout for people. Especially at a school like ours I think that’s very important to people because everyone wants to have something they can flash.”
On its website, the brand touts its use of real fur as the best form of insulation. For 18-year-old freshman Julia Foley the ethical cost is too much. “I will never buy a Canada goose jacket, even if it is made without fur, because I don’t believe in contributing to a company that profits off of animal lives.” Showing an environmental consciousness and also citing the outlandish cost, she adds “I have an amazing faux fur winter jacket that keeps me warm and doesn’t cost a fortune or the lives of animals and I personally just don’t understand why it is necessary to buy fur when perfectly good alternatives exist.”
When it comes to consumer decisions, assistant teaching professor in the department of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business and self-described “ethics guy,” Peter Jaworski (40) says that, “For sure it matters what consumer decisions we make. You don’t get excused by hiring someone else to do an unethical thing on your behalf. So if you’re buying something that you know is made to be in a way you judge to be unethical your decision to purchase that product is as good as your participation in the unethical behavior.”
The decision making process is complex and different for each individual. According to Jaworski, “Some people are going to find out [a Canada Goose jacket is] made with coyote fur and they’re going to be like ‘wow that’s super exclusive, that’s a good thing--I’ll buy a Canada Goose Jacket.’ Other people are going to think that the lives of coyotes are more important than the lives of cows, and so they’re going to be dissuaded from buying Canada Goose rather than something that is made of other animals that they value less.”
Some brands are going in different directions. Another brand that makes coats, Patagonia uses sustainability as a marketing point, and have seen success with this tactic. When it comes to the winter coat market the choice is yours, but consider more than the price or the brand name when making your choice.