The fur industry have been striking back at the rise of faux fur. Credit: jackmac34 - CC0
My grandmother’s large collection of musty fur coats acted as my battle fortress during games of hide-and-go-seek. Those animal skin shelters are gone now after she realised, along with the rest of us, the atrocities committed in fur farms across the globe.
Today, her closet looks the same but emanates a different, more polished twang of olfactory hues associated with a transition to faux furs. But does it matter if her fur is fake or not?
Wearing faux fur seems like the easy and logical correction to wearing real fur. With acrylic fur, people like my grandma can still look fashionable without supporting the mass slaughter of animals like rabbits, foxes and raccoons by electrocution. Recently, some of the fashion industries top designers have agreed to stop using real fur in their products. Stella McCartney, Jimmy Choo and Tommy Hilfiger are finding new ways to emulate fur, but without the cruelty.
Although PETA views faux fur as a step in the right direction, it still propagates the notion that fur is culturally acceptable and animal torture along with it. Even in 2018, with designers finding new vegan material to use, it is difficult for our society to forget leather, suede and fur because they historically symbolise extravagance and quality.
The fashion industry’s effort to shift to faux fur may reduce the number of animals slaughtered each year, but the artificial materials are terrible for the environment.
New lines of faux fur contain acrylic fibres made of limestone, coal and plastic fibres that are not biodegradable. About 85% of the material used in fake fur winds up on shorelines, according to one study.
The fashion industry’s effort to shift to faux fur may reduce the number of animals slaughtered each year, but the artificial materials are terrible for the environment
Despite my grandma’s attempt to help stop animal cruelty, fake fur is bad for the earth and continues to support the symbolism of animal cruelty.
Noah Eckstein