Strange red/pink threads on brand new Seymour Duncan Pickups – Normal or a defect?

Hey everyone,

I need some community advice from the pickup experts here.

I recently bought the Seymour Duncan Dimebucker Zebra Set and just finished installing it in my guitar. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that there are short, reddish/pinkish hairs or threads sticking out from the sides of the coils (as you can see in the photo).

Since these pickups are fresh out of the box, I’m a bit unsure... What exactly is this material? Is it part of the protective cloth tape wrapped around the coils that got slightly frayed?

Is this completely harmless, or should I return/exchange them before the winding gets damaged or exposed to moisture?

I’ve already reached out to the retailer's support team, but I wanted to check if anyone else has seen this on Seymour Duncan pickups before. Does this affect the functionality or longevity of the pickup at all?

Thanks in advance for your help!