This winter’s hottest trend might also be its cruelest.
This season, fur has been infiltrating the fashion industry like never before, showing up on bags, sweaters, dresses, hats, scarves and even shoes. But the arrival of such an infamous trend is inspiring a surplus of controversy, causing an even wider gap between fur lovers and animal rights supporters.
Fur as a fabric got its start in the prehistoric days. It had one simple purpose: to provide warmth as a means of survival. Today, in a civilized world complete with heated homes and countless warming fabrics, fur might seem unnecessary. The world of fashion, however, has always been concerned with more than just necessity.
“Fur looks elegant,” said John Phillip, a UCLA theater alumnus who graduated in 2006. “There’s a certain level of sophistication that’s associated with fur. It looks luxurious.”
As needless and impractical as fur may seem, retail sales in the United States fur market continue to grow at a steady pace. U.S. retail fur sales for 2005 totaled $1.82 billion, according to fur.org. Flipping through the pages of fashion magazines such as Vogue, it’s impossible to miss the countless ads and photo spreads advertising the fabric. It has become a trend that is being offered by a majority of high fashion designers, from Marc Jacobs to Fendi to Oscar de la Renta.
But love it or hate it, many believe fur possesses an undeniable allure. It exudes old Hollywood glamour and new Hollywood style. Favored by the rich and the fabulous for decades, fur has consistently symbolized the wealth and status of its devotees.
“Fur has always been a trend just because only certain people could afford real fur,” said Christina Truong, a second-year history student.
This winter, however, more affordable brands such as Bebe are giving everyday consumers the opportunity to experience a bit of the elitism that the wearing of fur seems to provide for the elite. Bebe’s collection includes items such as the Fur Trim Pom Pom Hoodie, now on sale for $69, and the $139 Cropped Sherpa Jacket.
With fur being all the rage, it is probably easy to forget that the fabric’s cost goes much deeper than its price tag.
Before fur coats, scarves and accessories are put on the shelves, animals such as rabbits, raccoons, minks, foxes, coyotes and beavers must be skinned and their carcasses disposed of.
While the degree of worth of an animal’s life is considered by many to be debatable, some people believe it is worth more than a piece of clothing.
“It is not fashionable to wear a dead animal’s coat on your back,” said Kristy Anderson, a fourth-year geography/environmental studies student and president of Bruins for Animals. “Depending on the animal, it can take hundreds of animals to make a single coat.”
According to www.furfreefriday.com, a prominent anti-fur Web site, approximately 30 million animals are killed annually on fur farms and 10 million wild animals are trapped and killed.
Imprisoned for their lives in cages that are sometimes only a single square foot, and then killed by means such as electrocution, gassing and neck-breaking, anti-fur activists say the animals raised on fur farms not only die miserable deaths but also live miserable lives.
“People are often unaware of the slaughter methods that animals undergo before they’re skinned,” Anderson said. “Many of the animals come back into consciousness during the skinning process, so they’re skinned alive.”
Since this winter’s fur explosion, cruelty-free faux fur has become widely available, making it possible to sport the look without supporting the process. Popular retail boutiques such as Gap, H&M and Forever 21 refuse to sell real fur but offer stylish faux fur pieces.
Skyla, a trendy boutique in Westwood, is also offering some faux fur pieces this season.
“If you think about it, the look of fur does not compare to harming animals. You can buy fake fur that looks just as good,” said Camille Joseph, a manager at Skyla.
Oftentimes, faux fur does look just as good as the real thing ““ and vice versa. The Humane Society of the United States recently exposed Sean “Diddy” Combs’ line, Sean John, for selling a supposedly fake fur jacket that was actually made with raccoon dog fur, proving the two can be easily confused. And that’s not all.
“Domesticated dogs and cats are skinned alive for the fur trade in China, and these products end up over here,” Anderson said. “People sometimes don’t even know which species the fur that they’re wearing comes from.”
But for people looking to sport the real thing, they’d do well to remember what makes it so authentic.
“(The animals are often) exposed to natural elements, such as rain and snow, and sometimes freeze to death,” Anderson said. “That isn’t natural at all, and it needs to stop.”