Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large
Kate Moss
I hate to say it, but the battle betwee the anti-fur camp and the fur-wearing brigade has been won by the fur-wearers. That means Anna Wintour has won. The foxes cowering in a cage somewhere in Norway have lost. The International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF) have triumphed and People for the Ethical treatment of Animals (PETA) have failed.
I came to this conclusion yesterday while reading the Evening Standard letters page when a certain Georgina Langford, the VEGETARIAN events manager for a magazine named Glass, wrote in to say:
"I am both a vegetarian and a vintage fur wearer. Although I do not condone the continued killing of animals for food and fashion, and would never buy a new fur, the pelts for most vintage coats were produced more than 30 years ago. It is surely better to wear these beautiful garments than leave them to moulder in attics, which is akin to throwing away half-eaten steak. Vintage fur coats epitomise winter glamour; fake fur leaves the wearer wanting the real deal. Last year I treated myself to an Arctic fox jacket and during this cold snap it has been worth every penny. To save on heating bills and reduce my carbon footprint, I often wear it indoors."
I have never read such a load of ill-informed, wrong-headedness in my life. How can someone wear fur and be a vegetarian at the same time? I just do not understand it. Stella McCartney needs to have a word with this girl. And because the animal died before she was born, that makes it OK does it? I fear this girl has been bitten by the "fashion dunce" bug, in which a normally bright girl becomes an airhead in the name of being fashionable. Even the caption written by an Evening Standard sub-editor suggesting Ms Langford "epitomise[s] winter glamour" caused my hackles to rise.
Obviously, the reason I am on the subject of fur wearing is due to how this cold snap (another three inches of snow in West London over-night) has revealed the true face of the fur-wearing public in London. It is so much bigger than I EVER imagined. Walking the dog I see old ladies in fur coats. Not rich ladies; locals. In and around town I see young cute fashiony girls in rabbit fur bomber jackets, fox stoles; Arctic fox belted coats, you name it. I can't help thinking the battle is lost.
The British Fur Trade Association estimate that worldwide sales of fur totalled more than $15 billion towards the end of the naughties – marking a decade of continued growth.
It seems the public perception of wearing fur is that it is not just OK to wear fur, it is fashionable to wear fur. Meaning that more and more animals will have to be farmed just for their pelts, with no usable by-products for human consumption.
I know a lot about the fur industry. I have been to a fur farm, and heavily researched the area. This was done in my own attempt to ethically decide for myself whether wearing fur was right or wrong. I then wrote about my quest in the Saturday Telegraph Magazine.
After a great deal of work and thought I came to the conclusion that, as a meat-eater, I would wear the by-products of the animals I do eat. So leather for shoes and bags, feathers for pillows and padded winter coats, wool for sweaters, and sheepskin for boots, hats, gloves.
That works for me, and I can stand up for my reasons for wearing animals. Georgina Langford's "reasons" for wearing fur are pathetic. The Fashion Junior at Large is also a vegetarian, and would NEVER wear fur. We've just had a long chat about why she DIDN'T/COULDN'T buy a coat with a fur collar at the weekend, and I have asked to to write all about it for us. So look out for that in the next few hours. In the meantime let's ponder those shots of Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss wearing fox.
Victoria Beckham
Photo credits: REX FEATURES
Posts
Great post! Well written & well informed - unlike the subject of the Evening Standard's letters page! I have mentioned my thoughts on fur in the next post but I totally agree, this is a complete nonsense and contradiction in terms!
ReplyDeleteTotal agree with all of your comments. I am horrified to see the growing trend for wearing fur - their excuse generally being how warm it keeps them. Pathetic. Still, these are probably the kind of people who shop in Primark and don't care about the human rights abuses within the supply chain, so can we be surprised?
ReplyDeleteMy problem is people just don't THINK about it at all. People just blindly think "its OK to wear vintage fur" yet ask them why and, more often than not, they don't know! They can't stand up for their decision. How bad is it that we have lost the power to make a decision under our own steam? This is my real soap-box issue as my friends will tell you.
ReplyDeleteSo do you think it's acceptable to wear cheap leather? The kind of cheap leather that comes from say China? How do you think those cows are treated? Are they even a by-product? Does that make it okay, if they have a terrible death afterwards? Why do we not debate this too?
ReplyDeleteI don't understand what you think makes you feel you have sole access to the truth! Resorting to name calling, calling people air heads, ill informed and wrong headed just because they don't agree with you is not a very strong way to argue.
ReplyDeleteIt is offensive to me that you just assume people don't think, simply because they think differently from you.
I am a fur wearer. I have researched the fur trade very carefully and extensively, and stay up to date with current debtes on fur. There are always two sides (or more) to every question. Having researched carefully and drawn my conclusions, I am very comfortable with wearing fur. Most fur wearers know what they are doing.
The fact that I have drawn different conclusions from you makes me no better or worse than you. It certainly doesn't give me the right to criticise and be abusive to you.
If you farm animals for food, you can farm them for clothing. Yes you have to be aware of treating your animals well, (and in this respect fur farming is very often superior at animal welfare than meat farming). Yes there are alternatives, but many of the alternatives such as cotton production and synthetic clothing have equally and in some cases more damaging effects than fur production. Suffering is involved in a great deal of mass production. Because animal suffering is not in your face as some perceive it to be with fur farming and slaughterhouses, doesnt mean it is not there.
Of course it is ok to wear vintage fur. It is criminal to waste perfectly good clothing (sadly a view not held by our wastefull throw away society). Not wearing vintage fur will not bring the animal back to life. Discarding vintage fur helps no one. If an animal has died for a fur coat, then it is totally unethical not to use it.
Do you check that all your handbags and shoes are made from cow leather? Many fashionable bags and shoes are not. Do you ban all bags including cow leather bags because some are made from more exotic animals?
By all means have your views and stick to your chosen path, but don't assume that others are less worthy than you for thinking differently.
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeletemy bet is that you are anonymous because you work in the fur industry, make money from the fur industry in some way, or are the girl who wrote into the Evening Standard. Why else be so defensive?
I have no issue with anyone if they can morally stand up their reasons for wearing fur. My blood begins to simmer, however, when someone such as yourself is snide in their commentary and then hides behind anonymity. Pathetic! Stand by your opinions by outing yourself.
If you properly read my piece you would see I call the vegetarian fur wearer who wrote into the Evening Standard "wrong-headed". My opinion. This is because my issue is with people who don't think it through, and wear fur without giving it the deserved moral attention.
Wearing fur is above all an issue of personal morals. My colleague at Grazia Paula Reed wears fur; knows clearly why she chooses to wear fur, and can stand up for her decision convincingly. I respect her stand point and do not think she is "wrong headed".
My post was about encouraging responsible consumerism. It is a shame that so few people care these days.
Melanie
Melanie bravo darling you could not have responded any better to that anonymous comment.
ReplyDeleteI too have noticed a rising trend in younger girls wearing fur.
I am intrigued by this rising trend and I am glad you have put it all so eloquently.
I do not wear fur but wear faux fur and have even been questioning how ethical that is lately.
Thank you for this post as it has given me food for thought.
Do ignore the defensive anon commenters, if she/he had really anything important they would not hide behind anonymity.
Fabulous piece thought provoking piece.
Glam Kisses,
Marian.
why don't you all just wear cheese burgers oon your heads
ReplyDeletelol, gotta love it how the anti-fur brigade always reply with "you must work for the big evil fur industry" when they are provided with facts instead of PETA propaganda. Ummm, maybe people just know how to research properly and can make decisions for themselves? Ever though of that?
ReplyDeleteDid you know that by wearing synthetic fake leather shoes you are promoting the look of dead animal skin?