The totally gorg Bryanboy wearing a MMM fur thing on his head photographed by Le 21éme
As controversial as the industry can be sometimes, nothing is as controversial as fur. It’s a topic that’s well worth anyone’s attention in the industry, to put it down to laymen’s terms there are two clear divisions; pro or anti. And although this clear divider may be enough for some, it is what lies in between that is worth exploring.
It’s been called a “needless luxury”, presented as “the ugly face of fashion”, attached to the term “cruelty”, fur itself has created an interesting namesake for itself in the industry. And like with any good fashion trend, it’s gone through phases. Just like an indecisive teenager, it’s been “fashionable” to be anti-fur – in the early 1990s, PETA released its first anti-fur campaign, and it was undoubtedly successful. The industry rejected fur, it was a thing of the past, and retailers such as Selfridges and Liberty placed bans on fur. Naomi Campbell posed for PETA, so did Cindy Crawford, but they both went back on that… (awkward)
But I’m not here to present the backstory about fur in the industry, if you want to know more about that let me know and I might just write a post about it. For the purposes of this post, we’re going to keep it friendly and light, I’m not going to bore you with in-depth details nor gruesome photos of animals being slaughtered, just a friendly discussion about fur’s place within the industry.
Fur is far from the only animal material which is used in the industry. Among its ranks stand wool, angora, leather, silk (yes silk), mohair, camel, pony hair, cashmere, duck down and the list continues… All of which can be “ethically” or “unethically” sourced. Hell, even, plant-based materials that are used for textile production can be unethically sourced. Let’s face it the fashion industry is far from ethical.
Fur was a necessity at a time in history – when they didn’t have fancy textile technology to keep them warm, it was a way of surviving but, of course, in our 21st century, we don’t really have to forage the forests to pick berries for dinner so that’s not really an issue. Fur is seen as a luxury nowadays, not a need, but, a want (like most of the things in the industry). Once upon a time, it showed status, superiority, power, it gave integrity and dignity to a person, and I think in a way it still does… Fur in our 21st century still represents wealth and extravagance. The mere significance and survival of fur as a viable material still in production today within the industry is due to the fact that it is opulent. This close association between fur and this atmosphere of pure luxury is one that has been reinforced again and again throughout the years. It’s expensive, therefore it must be exclusive. And in the fashion industry, it really is as simple as that.
As a material, fur is the least worked material within the fashion industry so here’s where it differs from its neighbours wool and leathers. What I mean is this, Fur is left mostly in its natural state and the value of fur is highly dependent on this. In most cases, fur is not re-worked or tanned or woven. It exists purely as how it was when it existed on the animal from which it came. Even if it is dyed and manipulated as it was on the runway (see: fall collections), it primarily still looks like fur. Whereas, materials such as wool and angora, are re-worked. The protein fibres are woven into textiles or yarn which are then knitted or sewed into garments.
They’re more commonly dyed into every colour of the rainbow and then produced into garments. In the end, what you end up with is a soft cosy jumper or top which looks nothing like the original raw material. It’s processed, then worked and then re-worked until it’s refined into a design. This is probably why wool, cashmere, mohair, angora, silk and other protein fibres are much more accepted than fur. No one really thinks about it because it’s a material that has been worked for so long that it no longer represents that of the raw material. Isn’t that really just ignorant on our behalf? I’ve heard people complain about the collection of mohair but never really wool or cashmere. It’s as if we’ve been desensitised to the production and possible cruelty associated with the production and collection of the two fibres. And what about silk? Those poor worms…
Lastly, let’s talk leather. Most people would’ve worn leather at some time in their lives. It’s practically the norm for footwear these days. Again, it comes from an animal. A presumably dead animal. Sorry if that offends you but it’s the truth… From raw cowhide or lambskin, it takes so much work to become the shiny leather that forms your footwear. When it’s first collected, what it is essentially is just the skin of an animal, fur attached and all. From then it is prepared, tanned and crusted which takes a number of processes within them. Its claim to fame in the environmental world is associated with its tanning process which involves the usage of a number of chemicals as well as the chemicals it produces during the preparation process. So when you think about it isn’t leather just as bad as fur?
And while we’ve covered all the protein fibres and raw materials which exist from animals, let’s talk cotton, nylon and all of the other wonderfully ethically wrongs of the fashion industry. First of all, the fashion industry really is not for the lighthearted. If you’re looking for a wonderfully ethically and sustainably made and sourced jacket, you ain’t gonna find it in Prada’s next collection nor H&M’s “sustainable” collection or whatever it’s called. While I’m all for the fashion industry to get its act together and stop being so wasteful and cruel, it’s not going to happen anytime soon. If you’ve ever bought any garment from most of the shops in Australia, you’ve probably purchased one that’s been made in a sweatshop.
