Fur is an essential item to timeless fashion and a symbol of luxury. Going back to the 11th century, fur represented wealth and status, rather than the functional purpose of warmth. Fur was initially worn by European royalty and by the 1950s, fur became more affordable and styled casually.
While the evolution of fur has allowed fur clothing to be more accessible, it has lost its value because of the mass production of faux fur through designers and fast fashion trends.
Faux fur is a term to describe synthetic material meant to replicate the aesthetics of animal fur. As faux fur is primarily made of plastic, it’s harmful to the environment, ending up in landfills because the pieces fall apart easily and polluting the air.
Faux fur may be deemed as more ethical than real fur because there are no animals harmed in the process, however holistically it does more damage to the environment.
Real fur eventually biodegrades, where faux fur fibers can take hundreds of years to break down.
https://wwd.com/runway/spring-couture-2023/paris/schiaparelli/review/
Fast fashion companies like Shein, H&M, Zara, and Forever 21 sell trendy, affordable faux fur clothing such as fur trim coats, sweaters, vests, and short jackets. The mass production of faux fur through fashion companies has allowed the fiber to reach $174.7 billion in sales by 2032.
Although fur that is derived directly from animals is more expensive than faux fur, it’s an investment that can last generations, is higher quality, and if purchased second-hand, has a prior life story.
In most recent events, designer Daniel Roseberry presented the 2023 spring couture for Schiaparelli. Faux materials were utilized to create the runway looks, featuring Shalom Harlow wearing a cocktail dress with leopard fur and head at the bust. Irina Shayk wore a black velvet dress with a lion head and Naomi Campell in a shaggy fur coat with a wolf’s head on the shoulder.
These designs received backlash, “Roseberry’s choice to showcase an overly literal interpretation of iconic source material inadvertently made every other brand’s petroleum-derived faux fur look tame by comparison,” said Vogue. Other critical points were made, that the fake lion head could be encouraging dangerous behavior and animal violence.
As holding major designers accountable is important, there should be more conversations about popular fashion companies that mass produce and promote faux fur. The Schiaparelli spring 2023 show was one event, where the rapid production and distribution of fast fashion clothing is leaving an environmental footprint. It’s up to our generation to sustain the value of real fur, invest in our pieces, and buy less.
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