Luxury: The Revenge of Fur. The Failure of PETA.

It started during New York Fashion Week this past February and it is still going strong on this side of the pond this week. Fur. It's everywhere. More importantly, it's on the runways not only of established designers with a track record for incorporating fur into their collections (Oscar de la Renta, Fendi, etc.) but younger designers as well (Thakoon Panchigul, Quentin Veron, etc.). Why?

I suspect the answer lies at least in part in PETA's tactics. I personally do not wear fur. This said, I firmly believe that we all need to make our own personal political and moral decisions and I refuse to judge those who choose to wear it. I can say however, as someone obviously sympathetic to their cause, that I've often been thoroughly turned off by their guerilla tactics and those of their strident supporters. Given that fur is again back in favor with a vengeance, I think PETA and its supporters need to take a good, hard look at their strategies over the past two decades and wonder why this is. I suspect their tactics may be part of the problem rather than the solution.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Comments

[Helene]

You're perspective is perfectly valid Dahlia (I know what minus 40 with the wind chill factor feels like). I agree with you that the fur vs. leather issue is one that is difficult for anti-fur advocates to square away neatly. If you follow the logic, only a purely Vegan lifestyle would be moral (and to be perfectly honest, that is about as appealing to me as eating glue).

This said, I do think that highlighting the abuse and carnage associated with the fur trade is an important legacy of PETA and other groups like it. I just wish they had been better tacticians. At the height of their influence, had they used their political muscle to advocate for more humane conditions of animals as opposed to an outright ban of all fur, they might have accomplished more. Given the current engouement for all things furry from NY to Paris, it seems their tactics have resulted in little more than a backlash.

Thanks for your comment. It's good to hear from you again.

Helene

[Dahlia]

I used to be against fur and was even weary about touching it. But I've met designers who worked with fur (more specifically hats) and encountered mink coats. And I have to say, they convinced me on a few factors about fur I hadn't really thought about.

There's the debate about fur being more green than synthetic fabric, this is true. However there are many fur coats which are lined with polyester (derived from oil), so I guess it depends on how well your fur goods are made of. As far as hats go, they don't cause annoying static in your hair, and they can actually be easy to clean. A great advantage, especially those of us who live in subzero weather like Canada, fur-derived apparel really does keep us warmer. I tried on a coyote fur hat, and thought I could hibernate in it for the rest of the winter because it was so warm. Nothing synthetic or man-made can really compare.

I have to say that while fur does cause concern for animal rights, I don't understand why a person wouldn't be as revolted in wearing leather and suede (which are both made of animal hide) for their coats, gloves, bags, shoes and wallets. So it's ok to wear leather but not fur? Where's the logic in that? Also, the alternative not to wear animal-derived clothing isn't that much better. So until we can come up with better alternatives to fur, I believe it's ok to wear fur.

[pulchra]

I am against furs but not integralist...I think that fashion brands relaunched furs because they are thinking that Russians are back...at the end if you see they only produce few pieces of them and some of them will last in the shops until they are (secretely) discounted (you buy it and I gift you a super bag)
I remember a wonderful croco and mink coat of a famous fashion brand travelling their retail network and being unsold for many years...and let's not forget that if they sell it par hasard it's an enourmous amount of money and a great margin
personally I think it's weird that PETA only attacked Max Mara while there are many fashion brands that have fur in ther DNA...strange

[Make Do Style]

Completely agree. I saw a woman in a fur coat at Waterloo on the Jubilee Line yesterday and was so shocked. And last week I had a fur coat encounter with a woman in H&M. I have to say fur smells and most fur coats look dreadful and I can't abide them. However I think it is a personal choice and PETA forgot how to adapt campaigning to deal with this.