Whether it came from an animal on a fur farm or one who was trapped in the wild, every fur coat, trinket, and bit of trim caused an animal tremendous suffering—and took away a life. Today, most fur is used as a trim, on the hoods of parkas or as fur charms attached to handbags.

 

We don’t have to remind you that fur is this industry’s most divisive subject. Animal rights activists say that there is simply no justification for killing animals to satisfy someone's vanity. Counter arguments say fur is not only beneficial for the business of fashion, but also for the environment due to the non-biodegradable properties of faux fur.

 

Despite pressure from groups such as Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), which began anti-fur campaigning in the 1980s, consumer appetite for extravagant ensembles has not ceased to exist. In an independent study recently commissioned by the International Fur Federation (IFF), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) estimated that the worldwide fur trade was worth more than US$40 billion. Looking at fur sales over the longer term, sales today stand nearly 50% above early 1990 levels fueled by fur’s prominence as a luxury textile. Since the turn of the millennium, sales worldwide have soared to record highs, fueled by radically new techniques for working with fur.

 

Many millennials seem unaffected by the animal rights campaigns, choosing instead to follow the likes of celebrities like Rihanna, Beyonce and the Kardashians, who wear real fur and boast it on their social media platforms.

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“The animals—who are housed in unbearably small cages—live with fear, stress, disease, parasites and other physical and psychological hardships...” reports PETA. The anti-fur movement reached a new level when PETA featured models Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford posing nude in its 1994 campaign, promoting the slogan, "I'd rather be naked than wear fur."

 

During a time of increasing anti-fur activism, with protests outside recent London Fashion Week shows such as Burberry and Christopher Kane, designers are making a commitment against fur. Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, says that "London Fashion Week is a fantastic promotional platform and protesters see this as an opportunity to raise awareness of their cause." In recent months, Michael Kors has joined Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani and Tommy Hilfiger in going fur-free. Real fur appears to be falling out of fashion. Will moral values and political resonance will be this season’s—and possibly the future’s—biggest trend?

 

Whether or not activist efforts are the cause, the governments of the United Kingdom and Austria have banned fur farming in their countries altogether, while The Netherlands has phased out fox and chinchilla farming. The U.S. has not taken any action against the industry.

 

But the future of fur is unclear, and it has been left to millennials to decide whether or not fur will continue to have a place in fashion in the future. Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not you care that the coat on your back used to be a living animal. So, do you?

 

Pick up a copy of our October issue to read our exclusive interview with former PETA campaigner and supermodel Naomi Campbell, discussing her views on the fur industry.