Debate: Fur In Fashion
The Fur debate has been going on throughout the ages, and this Autumn/Winter is set too be brimming with fur. Fashion Week saw designers sending out fur draped models left right and centre, which is sure to spark up the debate one again. We spoke to two Groomed & Glossy readers to hear their views on the use of fur in fashion.
Jay Timms, 22, Style Assistant – Agree
I completely agree with the use of real fur in fashion. It has been a high luxury material used for centuries and I think it will always have its place in fashion. I think it is unfair to the animals that lose their lives but it is exactly the same as with farm animals that are used for their meat, and as long as they are completely ethical and monitored fur farms it’s acceptable. Whilst a world without the production of new fur would be preferable, I think it is an impossible dream much like that of everyone in the world not eating meat. Real fur is here to stay so why not enjoy it.
Fur is currently re-surging in popularity with new technology changing the way fur can be used. Fendi and Viktor & Rolf have had laser cut fur coats in their recent collections and it just shows that fur is adjustable and timeless. Whilst it is controversial real fur will always have a customer base within the higher end of the fashion industry. Fur is a luxury and for those who can afford it will surly indulges in it. If anything, I think fur will actually become popularised with the vintage fur market being so in demand the need for cheap fur is increasing and I think that it will at some point hit the high-street.
I think that PETA activists are people with nothing better to do and have nothing else going on in their lives so they become obsessed with a cause they don’t really even care about. If they did care they would be supporting worthwhile animal charities like WSPA and the WWF that actually make a difference to the welfare of animals rather than attacking innocent consumers. Whilst I happily wear real fur I understand that it would be better if new furs weren’t produced but attacking people on the street who are wearing fur is just stupid and isn’t going to accomplish anything towards their agenda
Amy Wood, 22, Student – Against
I don’t agree that any living being should face an unnecessary, often brutal death at the hands of fashion. I believe that designers, such as Marc Jacobs, who use fur in their collections, should withhold a moral and ethical responsibility. Keith Kaplan, executive director of the Fur Information Council of America, believes designers use this responsibility correctly. “They (designers) have come to recognize that the fur industry is committed to the humane and responsible treatment of animals and that no industry is more highly regulated at local, national, and international level” (fashionista.com). However ‘humane’ the extraction of fur in high fashion may seem, this is definitely not the case in all fur used in fashion garments. More than half the fur in the U.S comes from China where animals are cruelly skinned alive and endure horrendous physical suffering. Peta claims that “Some of the animals’ hearts are still beating five to 10 minutes after they are skinned.” Living in the 21 fur is widely available, I find this mindless torture and lack of respect towards animal rights hugely unacceptable. st century, where synthetic
I would like to believe that the use of fur in fashion will gradually filter out, however I’m unsure if that will be the case. With films like The Great Gatsby and Macklemore’s Thrift Shop video promoting the use of fur this year, it’s probable that fur will continue to be in demand by the public. For me fur is an outdated concept, aesthetically and morally, but don’t they say fashion always comes back around?
PETA give a voice to animals that are otherwise unheard and therefore vulnerable. PETA work compassionately to try and protect the welfare of animals worldwide, for me this can only be a positive thing. The slaughter of an animal for, what I would describe as an unnecessary reason, will never settle comfortably with me. Fur is neither an entitlement nor commodity and PETA’s attacks and protests emphasise this.
Feature: Lucy Dixon