Real fur is connected with affluence and luxury. Faux fur, on the other hand, is sold at a much more accessible price, allowing it to be mass produced. Real fur is no longer considered ‘iconic’, instead being seen as a statement of ignorance towards the treatment of animals. What does wearing real fur get you today? For Anna Wintour, it was a tofu pie in the face, and for others it’s being drenched in red paint and having ‘fur is murder’ yelled in your face.
Why is fur a problem?
We’ve known for a long time now that raw materials like fur, leather and feathers are often acquired through cruel and inhumane processes, with as much as 95% of fur globally coming from animals subjected to wire cages or confined in factory farms. Not only does this make animals’ lives miserable, but it increases the rate of extinction. Koalas were once nearly driven to extinction for their fur, while species such as the Arabian Ostrich and the Falkland Islands wolf have already become extinct, accelerated by the fashion industry.
Today the animals most often bred for fur are Mink, Foxes, Chinchillas and Raccoons. For some die-hard fur fans, it’s seen as natural and pure compared to synthetic fur, but this is actually far from the truth. Real fur doesn’t just come right off the animal and transform into a coat, it must be ‘dressed’. This is a process that uses carcinogenic chemicals, impacting the health of people who work at these fur farms as it prevents the fur from biodegrading.
There truly are no redeeming qualities to real fur. Currently 95% of all fashion brands are now fur free, but many brands refuse to let it go: Louis Vuitton still uses fur in its collections, currently selling Mink and Fox fur coats for upwards of £10,000.
How is faux fur made and is it becoming its own problem?
Faux fur is created using synthetic fibres which are then attached to a polyester backing. These fibres are cut to the right length for the animal they’re trying to imitate, dyed and then brushed. Given that polyester is derived from petroleum and therefore not biodegradable, the issues with faux fur’s environmental friendliness become clear.
When faux fur is washed, it releases huge amounts of plastic microfibres which in turn endangers sea life. Additionally, polyester dyes usually aren’t soluble in water, therefore when these dyes are disposed of, it not only impacts the wildlife in these bodies of water but also the surrounding communities, as these dyes are toxic to humans too.
So, if polyester can’t be used, what about recycled polyester? While this appears to be a viable solution on the surface, unfortunately, it still doesn’t solve the issues. Less than 1% of fibre production came from recycled textiles in 2020, in fact recycled polyester in clothing doesn’t directly re-use textiles at all, but uses plastics like PET bottles. Furthermore, recycled polyester is then even harder to recycle as with each cycle of re-using, the quality of the fabric decreases.
At least opting for a faux fur clothing item means no animals were harmed in the process, right? Well, maybe not. In 2018. Fatface, Romwe, Boots and Tesco, among a few names, all sold items falsely advertised as faux fur. When tested in laboratories, Fatface’s ‘fake’ fur gloves were found to use real Rabbit fur, and Boots sold ‘faux’ fur hair clips which actually included Mink.
What are the alternatives to faux fur?
Whilst I’ve painted a bleak landscape of the future of the fur and faux fur industry, there’s still hope. A company called ECOPEL, have created the first waterless dyed faux fur called KOBA. While this faux fur still uses synthetic materials, it’s a step in the right direction as it’s 37% plant-based, uses significantly less energy and emits 63% less greenhouse gases. Stella McCartney already uses KOBA in her collections.
But, for those of us who don’t have the budget to buy Stella McCartney right now, buying second-hand will always trump buying first-hand virgin materials, whether its real or faux fur, re-using is the future of fashion.
