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.

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.