Let me begin by stating that I am an animal lover. I love all animals, my dogs have always been spoiled, and if I could have goats in the suburbs they would share my bed with my dog and me. Yes, I am a lover of all things furry and cute but I also love wearing fur.
Fur is not only luxurious and beautiful it is much warmer than any wool coat on the market. The reason humans donned fur in the first place was for this reason (other than the fact that Marc Jacobs wasn't around then to design the perfect wool coat). The style of one's fur garment became more important once form was placed over function. I have always worn vintage fur coats which belonged to my grandmothers, my friends' grandmothers as well as great finds from Value Village and the Hadassah Bazaar. If I had any reservation about wearing fur I reconciled it by not purchasing any garment made after 1960.
What reservations do I have about fur? For one, I oppose the seal hunt. Yes, many families rely on this occupation for survival but the method used to obtain baby seal fur is just plain wrong. I also could not wear anything that had been trapped, abused, or experienced any sort of pain. So why am I designing fur muffs?
When I decided to design my beloved muffs, I did a great deal of research on the construction and on the fur business. First of all, in Canada where much of the fur I use originates, is governed by the Canadian Fashion Council. According to Farley Chatto (who also designs and makes my muff beds and is a licensed fur designer), the CFC will not use any furs from animals that have not been ethically prepared. Hence, no animals are trapped or tortured. The do not suffer before their demise. For the pelts I have chosen, the whole animal is used. I do not use any animals that are farmed just for their fur even though I am aware of the strict guidelines for farmed mink.
Now let's discuss faux fur. Animal activists prefer we use faux fur instead. I understand they are concerned about the welfare of the animals and rightly so but they obviously do not know about the current regulations that govern the CFC. Secondly, I had initially considered a faux line but spoke with my furrier, Angelo Papaevangelis (who is the best in Canada) who informed me about the dangers of faux fur. Just an aside: Angelo will only carry the best quality fur from Italy or Canada because he does not approve of the lack of quality standards used in China. He also informed me that some furriers use old furs which may seem reasonable in price but are inferior in quality. Faux fur is synthetic and is made with toxic chemicals. It not does break down in landfills and is extremely bad for the environment.
Let's now compare real fur and faux fur. Faux harms our earth and if the whole animal is used, we are supplying food for humans and other animals as well as warmth during the cold months. We fill our duvets and coats with down feathers. These are removed after the geese have expired. What is the difference between goose feathers and fur which has also been removed after an animal is put down? If one is using the whole animal for sustenance and warmth then we are continuing the ecological cycle of larger animals surviving on smaller animals.
I think if we ensure that we are taking care of our earth by not polluting, protecting living creatures that are in danger of extinction, caring for all living creatures with compassion by providing the sustenance and protection needed against the elements while applying some style to the skins and furs we are acting responsibly while also being practical.
