We all belong to the same bare race. We all, ultimately, care for the same things, and we are all naked apes, the children of fur.
Wear it or don’t wear it, but don’t imagine you have a philosophical or anthropological right to tell anyone else what they should or shouldn’t do.We’ve all been wearing fur for a very long time, and if you really, really are concerned about the wild things and places and protecting nature, then you might reconsider cotton, the most destructive and wasteful crop on the planet…
Below are excerpts from an insightful article from AA Gill of the Sunday Times
Would you wear something that had been made from an animal that had been boiled alive, simply because it was luxurious and swanky? Probably not. But then again, probably yes: your knickers, your shirt, your dressing gown, your tie, your frock, your hanky. Silk is made from boiling the pupa of a moth. It’s not a worm, it’s an infant. But maybe you don’t mind, because it hasn’t got legs or an identifiable face.
When you object to fur, you draw an arbitrary line through evolution. Probably a wobbly line. Yes to a lizard wallet or watchstrap; no to a hamster lining. Fine with peccary gloves (made from a wild-pig-like mammal), but not a fox scarf. You’ll eat pork, but not dog; cow, but not horse, although you wouldn’t blink at shoes or belts made from cordovan (horse leather). You’ll eat food dye made from a thousand squashed bugs, but probably wouldn’t wear earrings made from a beetle’s jewel-like elytra.
I’m not trying to imply you are a hypocrite or a fool. We have to make decisions about things all the time, but they’re personal, and they are not necessarily coherent or consistent. “I won’t kiss someone with a beard or a nose ring.” “I won’t go out with someone who is shorter than me or has a Liverpool accent.” “I’ll eat oysters, but not foie gras.” It’s a preference, not a moral philosophy, and it’s individual. You wouldn’t insist that everyone does the same, never eating onion rings or wearing yellow, because that would be stupid and boring. It should be the same with fur. There is no ethical difference between a fur coat and a leather jacket, crocodile or suede.
I love fur. I’ve been to see how it’s farmed. What country do you suppose has the most minks? Well done if you said Denmark. The liberally concerned, green and ethical Danes use the rest of the minks to make biofuel for school buses. The world’s biggest fur auction is in Copenhagen, and the rest of the world can’t get enough. Sales of fur have grown exponentially, despite the opprobrium and the threats. More and more people put on second-hand material that was once worn by something else.
This week, Fendi is unveiling its debut couture collection in Paris, the theme of which is boldly and unapologetically fur. “For me, fur is Fendi and Fendi is fur,” said the fashion behemoth and Fendi women’s-wear creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, who views this offering as “the opportunity to stage the royal fur of furs”.
Click here for the article from AA Gill of the Sunday Times.
