The fashion industry is divided on the issue of animal fur. Today, the size of the industry exceeds US$40 billion (over €35 billion) and has over one million employees worldwide. This is the first study that takes into account retail sales, production and fur farms to reveal.
Furs in the fashion industry
The fashion industry has a soft spot for fur and has made it a must-have trend! It's everywhere: windows, catwalks, magazines, etc. However... According to the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, more than 100 million animals are raised and slaughtered each year in difficult conditions to obtain their beautiful fur. Toxic gases, slaughter, poisoning and electrocution, these animals must provide us with collars and coats.
Mink, fox and rabbits are among the most prized animals for their fur. Beavers, lynx, chinchillas, sable, coyotes, wolves, raccoons and feral cats are the next most popular. It is shocking that traditional pets, such as dogs and cats, are also used to make their fur.
What does luxury fashion say?
While fur has been in the mainstream for many years, it seems that the high-end world is starting to take notice of the importance of protecting and respecting the environment. A few years ago, it was hard to imagine that the king of fashion would abandon fur, which is an excellent symbol of luxury and wealth. However, it is now time for some big name adventures! This is the case of many renowned brands of luxury fashion.
Manufacturing outsourced to Eastern countries
For the past few years, fur has been all the rage in countries with mild climates and a booming luxury industry. At the same time, the technology of combining it with other textiles (such as wool felt or silk) is creating new, lighter materials, and laser cutting technology is also increasing the use of fur edges.
However, this is not like other themes. Leaving aside synthetic fur, the journey of the final product begins with animals, especially mink, fox, rabbits, chinchillas and raccoons, as their skins are killed. Most are farmed, but some animals are caught in traps set in the wild.
