About Us

Welcome to our home page! This page is just a page about us and what we do...

This blog is focusing on a business event with a particular theme and highlights what is currently being spoken about on the topic. The event in this case is a trade fair which is an event where companies exhibit and demonstrate their products and services to a public or an invited audience. In this event the theme of the trade fair is a fashion show that showcase real and fake fur. "Exhibitors are selected on the basis of their creativity and quality of manufacturing." (Jackson and Shaw, 2006).

The blog is neither for nor against the use of fur and is simply informative. The authors of the blog however do have their own opinions on the topic.

Amani Kassar is a third year student and is studying Events Management. Her fascination in fashion shows has influenced her to create a blog about the use of Fur in Catwalk shows. She is also interested in the use of fake fur in key trends of the season.

Harli Dewar is also a final year student studying Events Management at London Metropolitan University. Her interest in fur being used for fashion purposes is continuously growing so being a contributor of this blog has helped to express her views on the situation.

Catherine Boyle is a third year student at London Metropolitan University and has a strong view on the abolishment of the real fur industry. She has a keen interest in the latest fashion and  is excited about the outcome and responses to this blog.

Jackson, Shaw, D. (2006) The Fashion Handbook, Abingdon: Routledge

Fake Fur....Do you know what you are really wearing?

Using fake fur has become a popular alternative to the real thing but are you sure you know what you are buying, is it really fake, what chemicals are used to make this fake fur that you wear?

Fur was considered a luxury item, however when videos from China were released displaying animals being skinned alive Khurana (2007) had stated it shook the public and transformed how we buy fur today. Companies and consumers had rejected real fur and wanted an alternative (Mark, 2008). But does it stop here? The use of fake fur has a combination of chemicals and hazardous substances (Khurana 2007) so therefore the question has risen if it is truly a more moral solution to the use of fur in fashion.

The use of fake furs in its primary stage was to become a cheap substitute to the real thing (Lumpton 2003). With a boom in fake furs many people were using this alternative to dress or accessorise themselves.

Fake fur is a type of textile fabric fashioned to imitate genuine animal fur. It is known as a pile fabric and is typically made from polymeric fibers that are treated, dyed, and cut to match a specific fur texture and color (McCall,1995). But the substances used to make fur over the years have progressed and some companies are using fewer chemicals (Bommanna and Lam 2012). But Khurana (2007) stress that we wear these items and it has contact with our skin.

Another controversial subject that has become a topic of discussion is the use of real fur being mislabelled as fake fur when in fact it has traces of real animal. 

A most recent case is based on Marc Jacob who is an American fashion designer and is extremely successful in the world of fashion (Branscomb, 2010). However, coats by Mark Jacob have revealed to have been made with pelts of raccoon dog although was under the impression it was fake fur (Abraham and Williams, 2013). With this statement being made public this could potentially put Jacob into negative press all around the world and increasing the awareness fur that is being sold on the high streets.  

“A five-month undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States found that several garments trimmed with 'faux fur' were actually made with the pelts of Chinese raccoon dog - a species related to the domestic dog - that is often skinned alive for its soft coat” (Abraham and Williams, 2013).  

Lumpton (2003) suggests that fake fur will continue to go in and out of fashion. So can we trust what we wear from high street stores? Is fake fur a better solution to the real thing?

References

Abraham, T. and Williams, O. 2013 Century 21 under fire after 'faux fur' Marc Jacobs coats are revealed to have been made with pelts of REAL raccoon dog. Daily Mail, [online] available at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2290069/Century-21-faux-fur-Marc-Jacobs-coats-revealed-pelts-REAL-raccoon-dog.html [Last accessed on the 25th April 2013)

Bommanna G, and Lam, K (2012) Global Contamination Trends of Persistent Organic Chemicalsm, United States: Taylor and Francis Group

Branscomb, L. (2010) Marc Jacobs: Profiles in Fashion Series. United States: paper publishers

Khurana, P. (2007) Introduction to Fashion Technology. New Delhi: Firewall Media

Lumpton (2003) Skin: Surface, Substance, and Design. New York: Prinston Architectural Press

Mark, J. 2008. Fur Council of Canada: Fur is Green. [Online] available at http://www.furcouncil.com/ecological.aspx (last accessed on the 19th April)

(McCall, J. (1995) Unraveling Fibers. New York Atheneum Publishers,

Fur is Back on the Catwalk!

Supporters call it “eco-friendly” and “sustainable.” Opposers say it’s cruel and vicious. But whichever side you are on, there’s no denying that fur had a major presence on the fall 2013 runways. So have we accepted this trade?

Analysis have looked through every catwalk and every look and have found that an amazing 70% of designers who displayed their trends at fashion had at least one look that has included fur! Several collections incorporated fur into over 20 looks (Crotty, 2013).

But does that mean that fur is now in favour and is considered the norm in cat walk shows? In the past, fur was considered luxurious, royal and beautiful but was about to change when the wrongdoings were highlighted in the late 1970’s (Steele, 2012). With this in mind, the outburst of the internet allowed it to be a vehicle to display videos which cascaded into becoming viral all around the world; videos included images of helpless animals being mistreated, living in unhealthy environments, slowly dying and even being skinned alive (Crotty, 2013).  This outbreak of videos allows a new generation to become anti-fur.

However, people who see real fur as an eco-friendly option, stating that it is a renewable and biodegradable resource have also stated that it is a smarter choice than synthetic fur, which is considered to be petroleum-based, non-renewable, and manufactured using products that release harmful chemicals into the atmosphere (Steele, 2012)

So who is right and who is wrong? Should we accept fur into our daily lives?

References
Crotty, N (2013) Fur is Back in Fashion with a Vengeance: Will you Embrace It? Fashionista, 14th March [Online] Available at:http://fashionista.com/2013/03/fur-is-back-in-fashion-with-a-vengeance-will-you-embrace-it/ (Accessed: 19th March 2013)

Steele, V (2012) The Berg Companion to Fashion. Berg Publishers: United States.

Fancy a Read?

If fur and the fur trade interests you and you want to get stuck into some informative books have a flick through these.

The Cultural Polotics of Fur written by Julia V. Emberley. This book gives a fascinating account of the powerful roles fur plays in cultures, history and politics. Find it on Amazon.

Fur, Fortune and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America by Eric Jay Dolin. The title says it all. This book brings together 300 years of the fur trade in America demonstrating that it played a seminal role in creating the nation here today. You can also find this on Amazon too.

The Decision Is All Yours!

PETA and CAFT have strong campaigns for the abolition of the fur trade, but is it enough to stop shops such as Harrods and Burberry from selling fur garments? With well-known celebrities such as Eva Mendes campaigning against the fur trade, will it make a difference?

Campaigns such as The Bloody Burberry campaign show shocking videos of the imprisonment of animals. These videos lead us to believe through people hearing and researching into the fur industry, an increasing amount of individuals will be against the selling of real fur. Pressure from anti-fur campaigns has already resulted in the banning of fur-farming in England and Wales in 2000, alongside fox and chinchilla farming being banned in Sweden and Holland. Roots (2007). Anti-fur campaigns have had a substantial effect on fur-farming, will this continue? Facts show the efforts organisations are going to to abolish the fur-trade in different countries is showing results. Through the introduction of new laws and the continuing of campaigns, will this see more and more countries banning fur-farming.

Through the persistent campaigns and pestering towards fur wearing celebrities, will this reduce the amount of fur that is being sold?

The answer is No. Care for the wild (2012) found, with an estimated value of £10 billion the popularity of fur, is increasing. Although PETA and CAFT are making a difference, is there more they can do?

Research by Gale & Kaur  (2004) found 'Anti-fur groups say that in the US, 80% of 'upscale' or high-income consumers prefer to shop at fur-free stores. ' For anti-fur groups such as PETA and CAFT, this figure will encourage the persistency of their campaigns. This is a satisfying figure although they want to achieve outright abolishment within shops. Further research by Gale & Kaur (2004) indicates 'Pro-fur groups say that, in the UK, 81 percent of people say it is 'acceptable to farm animals for there purpose provided there in animal welfare.' Providing animal welfare is taken into consideration, does this make fur-farming acceptable? As statistics show, 81% of people in the UK believe fur-farming is ok if the animals are treated fairly, do you believe fur-farming will become animal friendly? We see it as  a positive way of thinking although, as sad as it is, the welfare of animals is primarily up to the fur-bearers rather than the government. Curnutt (2001).

Before writing this blog we knew a reasonable amount about the fur trade through the protests at Harrods, although through ignorance we didn’t realise the extent to which the animals were treated.  Horrifying videos on the treatment of fox’s, rabbits, chinchillas and even dogs have left a disturbing image. If everyone was to see these videos, would it make a difference

References


Gale, C & Kaur, J (2004). Fashion and textiles: an overview. Oxford: Berg. p57.

Roots, C (2007). Domestication. United States Of America: Greenwood Press. p127.

Curnutt, J (2001). Animals and the law; a sourcebook. United States of America: Library of congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data, p209.

Care for the wild. (2012). Care for the wild: Fighting the Fur Trade – China . Available: http://www.careforthewild.com/what-we-do/campaigns/previous-campaigns/fighting-the-fur-trade/. Last accessed 14/04/2013.

PETA is Better?

Fashion can be seen as something that comes naturally to people, though others see it as a world of cruelty and pain to innocent animals. PETA stands for 'People for the ethical treatment of animals' (PETA, 2013). Animal Activists PETA adapt a no-go approach to the distribution of real fur showing nothing can get in the way, when showcasing the cruelty of the fur trade. 

PETA's campaign sees the likes of Charlize Theron, Cindy Crawford, Vivienne Westwood, Kelly Brook, Jay Sean and actress Eva Mandes who modelled naked on the cover of PETA's 'I'd rather go naked campaign' demonstrating her strong views against the fur trade. During PETA's interview with Eva, she made this statement 'Personally, I think wearing a baby chinchilla says, "I'm ignorant, versus saying, "I'm a badass". I don't think you can force people to change their attitudes, but you can help to educate them and to lead by example.' (PETA, 2013). Will this entice her fans to ditch the fur and follow in her footsteps?

PETA are renowned  for their convincing yet sometimes bizzare campaigns and eye-catching protest on Bond Street in London shows.(See Picture Below) Stomach turning to say the least, as part of a PETA protest, three young models were seen parading dead fox's around the streets of London as a way of demanding a ban on fur with the fashion industry.(Jones, 2012).Some may see it as inappropriate? Or is it a brilliant reminder of the cruelty which is happening to animals, imprinting the brutality into your mind?

Below are some examples of PETA's Campaigns:

References

PETA, (2013) PETA People for the ethical treatment of animals; Eva Mendes' Interview With PETA US.Available: http://www.peta.org.uk/features/eva-mendes-anti-fur-interview/. Last accessed 18/04/2013.

Jones, T. (2012). Mail Online;Here is the rest of your fur coat: Peta protestors dressed in LBDs parade dead, skinned foxes on Bond Street on the eve of London Fashion Week. Available: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2202709/London-Fashion-Week-Peta-protestors-dressed-LBDs-parade-dead-skinned-foxes-Bond-Street.html. Last accessed 14/04/2013

CAFT Campaign Hits the Hight Street!

Do you believe the distribution of real fur clothing within Britain should be banned given that the production of fur within the UK is Illegal? The uproar for the abolishment of the Fur trade has seen CAFT campaigners up and down the country, protesting against the selling of real fur. The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade also known as CAFT, is a campaign group against the production and use of animal fur for clothing and other items which sees them holding regular campaigns.

A campaign which CAFT are repeatedly involved in is parading Burberrys ‘Bloody Fur Trade ‘outside the high end stores, with Metrowebukmetro (2008) ‘calling for the importation of fur products to be banned and has urged the public to boycott all stores that continue to sell the product.’ Due to the freezing temperatures outside and the density of real fur, some may see the wearing of real fur as appropriate? Giving the thought, who can blame them? 

CAFT is a worldwide organization, though specialising within the UK campaigning throughout the streets of Britain outside of well-known shops including Burberry, Beyond Retro and the last department store within the UK to sell real fur, Harrods. One campaign they have set their sights on is helping people work out whether fur clothing is real or not, overlooking what the label says. As quoted on their website, The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade, CAFT (2013) cite ‘There is a lot of fake fur that looks very real so please try and determine whether it is fake or real - check the label and ask the shop assistants.’ (See Picture Below) Through encouraging campaigns and information determining the difference between real and faux fur as seen below, it appears CAFT continues to have a strong presence within the fashion industry? 

Available: http://www.caft.org.uk/fur-detective.html 

Below are some pictures from the Burberry campaign:

References

CAFT (2013) Become a Fur Detective! [Online] Available at: http://www.caft.org.uk/fur-detective.html. (Last Accessed: 14 April 2013) 

Metrowebukmetro (2008) Anti-fur campaigners set to protest, Metro [Online] Available at: http://metro.co.uk/2008/09/27/anti-fur-campaigners-set-to-protest-532945/. (Last Accessed: 10 April 2013)

PETA (n.d) Bloody Burberry: The Fur Fighters.[Online] Available: http://www.bloodyburberry.com/features/fur_fighters/. (Last Accessed 24/04/2013)

Will Pressure From Anti-fur Societies Convince Harrods to Pursue a No-fur Policy?

Harrods may be the only department store left in the UK selling fur but are they ashamed of this title? Are the protests having an effect on their decision to continue to stock and sell these garments? 

Anti-fur groups have had their fare share of unusual ways of getting their messages about the cruelty of the fur trade across to shops around the country. Harrods sells an assortment of fur clothing from designers such as Marc Jacobs using a coyote hair trim in his fashion line coting £625.00, causing Animal Rights UK activists to target the lavish department store. Animal rights UK spokesman quoted ‘chest and hair had been sent to the store by its supporters’ stating the reason behind the new campaign was for Harrods to ‘use them as an alternative to their current use of real animal fur’ (Orr, 2012). Would you pay over the odds to wear a dead animal on you back? Do you believe this campaign is a good way of showcasing the extent people will go to abolish the fur trade industry? 

Anti-fur groups take it upon themselves to hold regular protests through chanting, banners, leaflets and even signifying the cruelty to animals through demonstrations (See Pictures Below) Veggies(2013) state on their website ‘There are demos every Saturday at shops selling fur. Regular targets include Harrods and Joseph, as well as international campaign targets Escada and Max Mara.’ Is this taking it too far? 

Katherine Jenkins back in 2008 caused controversy with the opening of the winter collection in Harrods. Heckled by anti-fur protestors chanting “shame on Katherine” subsequently resulting in a protest in Katherine’s hometown of Wales voicing their disgust at the Singers ‘everyone’s entitled to their own opinion’ approach. Michaels (2008). As anti-fur groups continue to protest around the world, is Katherine Jenkins view acceptable? Because other department stores have a no fur policy, does it only seem right that Harrods should follow in their footsteps? Is the choice of clothing being sold in theses shops entirely up to owner? There are endless questions that could be asked but annoying to some its Harrods decision whether they are to continue to sell real fur.

Below is a short video from the Harrods Campaign and images from the protests:

References

Veggies(2013) London Anti-Fur Demos [Online] Available at: http://www.veggies.org.uk/event.php?ref=782 (Accessed: 20 April 2013). 

Orr, J. (2012) Human body hair sent to Harrods in envelopes in protest against sale of fur, The Telegraph [Online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9228734/Human-body-hair-sent-to-Harrods-in-envelopes-in-protest-against-sale-of-fur.html. (Accessed: 10 April 2013). 

Michaels, S (2008) Katherine Jenkins heckled at Harrods, The Guardian [Online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/29/katherine-jenkins-fur-protesters-harrods. (Accessed: 8 April 2013)

Fur Designers Go Crazy for Fall!

For AW13 there seems to be a copious amount of top fashion designers using faux and real fur in their clothing lines.

This years fashion week has shown the likes of Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang all incorporating fur into their extravagant ready-to-wear designs, be it coats, bags or accessories.

It appears these designers love using fur and aren't scared to show it off! Young designer, Mathieu Mirani's fall presentation included gowns with black fox fur panels and he believes using fur is very versatile. He says, "You can use it on a coat, a jacket, or even a dress...You can pair it with leather, sequins, wool" (LeTrent, 2013).

However, some designers have claimed to only use faux fur in their products but have been caught out and real fur has been proven to have been used as well. A five month investigation showed that several garments designed by Marc Jacobs claiming to have faux fur trims actually contained REAL racoon dog fur (Abraham and Williams, 2013). This doesn't leave a good reputation for Marc Jacobs with the animal rights activists now does it?

Below are a few image from the fashion week showing some beautiful examples of what to look forward to this winter.

Below is also a video of Alexander McQueen's fall collection showcasing fur.

References

Abraham, T and Williams, O (2013) Century 21 Under Fire after 'Faux Fur' Marc Jacobs Coats are Revealed to Have Been Made with with pelts of real racoon dog, Daily Mail, 8 March [Online]. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2290069/Century-21-faux-fur-Marc-Jacobs-coats-revealed-pelts-REAL-raccoon-dog.html.(Accessed: 17 April 2013).

LeTrant, S (2013) Fur on the Catwalk: Is it Worth the Controversy?, CNN, 15 February [Online]. Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/15/living/fur-controversy-nyfw (Accessed: 17 April 2013.

Shopping for Fur!

There are various places where you can find real and faux fur garments. You just need to know where to look to find what you are looking for!

Harrods

The only department store in the Uk that you can buy real fur from is Harrods even though the production of fur is now illegal in the UK. Here is a link to their website showing what fur items they currently have in store. The items sold in Harrods have contained beaver, chinchilla, red fox, mink, arctic fox, rabbit, wolf and squirrel. (CAFT, 2013) As you can imagine they are very expensive garments so prepare to splash the cash if you want a unique piece!

Vintage Shops

You can also purchase vintage fur garments in vintage stores all around the world! Beyond Retro (CAFT, 2013) found in Brighton, London and Sweden all sell a variety of fake fur and real fur for those vintage lovers who want to keep warm in the winter. Here is a link to their website for you to have a ganders.

Rokit also sell real fur although the majority of it is faux you can sometimes find a soft one in there. Find their fur page here.

Charity Shops

You can also find real and faux fur garments in charity shops believe it or not! Sometimes you can find it on the shop floor but most charity shop soften have a policy where they cannot keep it on the shop floor due to offending customers, but if you ask if they have any "out back" then they are allowed to escort you to see their collection. As charity shops do not refuse donations they often have a nice selection (Newton, 2012). So next time you pop in one and fancy a fur piece, ask if they have any "out back". You never know, you might be in luck.

Online

Fur can also be bought through the web from various websites if you search in your search engine. Ebay is also good for having a browse, just make sure you specify whether you want real or faux!

Below is a list of a few websites for you:

• http://www.hockleylondon.com/
• http://www.fursource.com/
• http://www.thefurcoatshop.co.uk/

References

CAFT (2013) Harrods, the Last Department Store Selling Fur [Online]. Available at: http://www.caft.org.uk/harrods/. (Accessed: 26 April 2013)

CAFT (2013) Beyond Retro [Online]. Available at: http://www.caft.org.uk/htdocs/BRetro/index.html. (Accessed: 26 April 2013)

Newton, F (2012) Fur in Charity Shops, OneKind Communities, 15 October [Online]. Available at: http://www.onekindcommunities.org/forum/topics/fur-in-charity-shops.

Blogs Against Fur.

Below are a list of blogs discussing the issues against the fur trade and the reasoning behind their ideas and protests.

This blog informs of the development of the animal rights movement within the nineteenth century, exploring the reasons behind the anti-fur campaign as well as the history of the fur trade.

http://allisonsmf.wordpress.com/

The Raise your paw blog explores the reasons behind why people wear fur, the distribution and population of regions who are employed within the trade. Probing the fight to stand up against the fur trade.

http://raiseurpaw.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-fury-against-fur-industry-stopping.html

This blog highlights the ways you can help with the abolishment of the fur trade and the misleading truths about what consumers are told.

http://www.bornfreeusa.org/a2_fashion.php

The coalition to abolish the fur trade, a campaign within the UK, with the latest news about the actions and investigations across the world.

http://www.caft.org.uk/