‘No Animals on the Runway!’
Fur has always been seen as a luxury in the fashion industry, people think it’s glamorous, sensual and expensive. Today, there are still luxury fashion designers who incorporate fur into their ready-to-wear collections. These include:
- Alexander McQueen
- Alexander Wang
- Altuzarra
- Arthur Galan
- Balenciaga
- Canada Goose
- Chloe
- Dior
- Fendi
- Hermes
- Karl Lagerfeld
- Luis Vuitton
- Marc Jacobs
- Prada
- Valentino
- Yves Saint Laurent
and many more, (Panaprium, 2022).
However, in the past years the fashion industry has seen great backlash from the use of fur. So much so that London fashion week banned fur from its catwalks in 2018. The use of fur approaches the larger issues of sustainability and the environment. As well as, the killing of millions of animals each year, the production of fur, wool, and leather contributes to climate change through land devastation, pollution, and water contamination. Through a study carried out by the environmental organisation PETA, it was found that over a span of five years, studies of lakes and rivers in Nova Scotia, Canada showed a degradation in the quality of water. This was primarily a result of high phosphorus levels released from the mink farming operations going on nearby, (PETA, n.d).
From the knock-on-effects from the fashion industry using fur and animal skin such as leather, new technologies have been able to create fake fur/leather, named ‘faux’. Numerous designers argue why luxury designers still remain to use fur when there is now a new, sustainable alternative which still creates the same look as animal skin.
“It’s about time that the fashion industry woke up to the fact that fur is cruel, barbaric and simply incredibly old-fashioned and unfashionable. The use of new materials and new technology is really what’s exciting in the future of this industry. To kill animals in the name of fashion and to use their skins when you can’t tell the difference any longer just seems ridiculous,”
Stella McCartney, 2018
Stella McCartney has always been a conscious brand, having never used fur, skins, leather, or feathers since it launched. The designer has created ‘fur-free-fur’ which still “looks and feels luxurious, and is completely animal free,” (Stella McCartney, 2022). McCartney is also currently working on a completely plant-based fabric named KOBA, which helps reduce the amount of Polyester we use.
Other brands following in McCartney’s footsteps include Michael Kors. Michael Kors announced that by the end of 2018 all fur designs will be gone, as well as designer Jimmy Choo. Similarly, to McCartney, they believe that new technologies enabling to create fabrics which look and feel the same as fur is enough to create their own luxe aesthetic.
So hopefully these notorious brands, designers, and the social world around us will convince ALL brands to be completely animal free as there’s still clearly a long way to go. Afterall, it is barbaric to be killing innocent animals, ruining supply chains, and the world around us for bobbles on our hats and trimmed hoods!
References
Fibre2fashion.com. 2019. Stella McCartney introduces sustainable fur-free fur. [online] Available at: <https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/fashion-news/stella-mccartney-introduces-sustainable-fur-free-fur-252530-newsdetails.htm> [Accessed 4 January 2022].
Panaprium. 2022. 22 Shameless Fashion Brands Still Using Fur in 2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/fashion-brands-fur> [Accessed 4 January 2022].
PETA. n.d. Wool, Fur, and Leather: Hazardous to the Environment | PETA. [online] Available at: <https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/animals-used-clothing-factsheets/wool-fur-leather-hazardous-environment/> [Accessed 4 January 2022].
Stellamccartney.com. 2022. Fur-Free-Fur | Stella McCartney US. [online] Available at: <https://www.stellamccartney.com/us/en/sustainability/fur-free-fur.html> [Accessed 4 January 2022].
The Independent. 2020. Canada Goose to stop using new fur in its designs. [online] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/canada-goose-fur-real-coyote-goose-down-animal-rights-a9480136.html> [Accessed 4 January 2022].
Wwd.com. 2018. The Fur Debate: What the Designers Say – WWD. [online] Available at: <https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/the-fur-debate-what-designers-say-1202648059/> [Accessed 4 January 2022].