They are not alone in falling off the anti-fur wagon. Figures from the International Fur Federation show that the industry is enjoying another year of considerable growth. The demand for mink, sable, fox, and ferret has soared, and farmers have stepped up production.
In 2013/14, 87.2m mink pelts produced around the world, worth a total of £2.2bn, with 35m produced by China alone.
China also remains one of the biggest producers of fox pelt, and together with Finland, 91% of the 7.8m fox furs produced globally.
The figures – the first to show a breakdown of different pelts – follow on from research by the IFF last year, which valued the global fur trade at more than £26bn.
On the British catwalks last year, more than 60% of shows featured designer fur coats, and at New York fashion week, the figure topped 70%. While luxury labels such as Fendi have a long history of featuring real furs in their shows, fur is increasingly being used by newer brands as well. In New York, the up-and-coming label Cushnie Et Ochs said fur was its favorite material, adding that it was “not ashamed.”
Fashion Designers
This month Karl Largerfeld said he would be putting on a select “couture fur” show to mark his 50th anniversary of working for Fendi. “For me, fur is Fendi, and Fendi is fur, fun furs,” he said. “Fendi is my Italian version of creativity. The Fendi Haute fourrure fashion show is the opportunity to stage the royal furs of furs.”
He told the New York Times: “For me, as long as people eat meat and wear leather, I don’t get the message. It’s effortless to say no fur, no fur, no fur, but it’s an industry. Who will pay for all the people’s unemployment if you suppress the fur’s industry?”
In the 80s, it was a fashion faux pas to step out in fur, but today’s celebrities seen. Rihanna and Rita Ora recently pictured in real mink coats. Kim Kardashian dressed her one-year-old daughter North West in what thought to be a $3,500 (£2,300) crystal fox fur coat.
Rita Ora Silver Coat
Rhianna Yellow fur dress
Lady Gaga made a Naomi Campbell-Esque turnabout on the issue. Initially they denounced fur.
Naomi Campbell in Magnificent Blackglama Mink Coat Sable Fur Collar
Lady Gaga Reigning Fur QueenMark Oaten, CEO of the International Fur Federation, said he was unsurprised by the growth in production as the taboo around wearing real fur was fading into irrelevance. “We knew from the catwalks that fur is certainly being used much more by designers and from some of the retail figures, which can be patchy and difficult, that the sales are going strong,” he said. “So, with this increase in demand, farmers are deciding to invest more in fur farms and increase production.”
“Designers appear to be embracing it. Customers appear to be embracing it again. We certainly find the younger generation have less of an issue with fur than the younger generation of the 1980s,” he said.
We’ve seen a change in patterns of the kind of consumers in Asia. Six months ago, I would have said Beijing and Shanghai are scorching markets, but now we are seeing a shift away to the second- and third-tier cities in China. We’ve also seen an enormous increase in America because fur has had an incredibly busy runway, and it has also been extraordinarily cold.”
Fur Industry Strong Globally
In the UK, members of the British Fur Trade Association reported a 20% increase in sales last year. The association’s chief executive, Mike Moser, said the growth driven as much by younger generations as by foreign millionaires.
“It’s hot stuff because fur is used in a fun way in fashion now,” he said. “It’s more accessible for young people because of the increase of fur trims on coats and fur accessories.
“The BFTA runs an annual competition for design students using fur, and this year we’ve seen a 50% increase in the number of students taking art. They want to use fur in their designs, which proves there such a strong interest in the younger generation.”
While the fur industry in countries such as Canada, the US, and Europe remain heavily regulated. China, which is much more lax about animals’ welfare not as careful. Oaten conceded it was a concern for the IFF and said cleaning up the Chinese fur trade remained a priority.
“Obviously, with so much mink coming from China, one of my big priorities is to make sure that they understand what the requirements are for welfare,” he said. “I was in China a couple of weeks ago meeting with government officials. They have already adopted the Council of Europe guidelines on welfare, and we’ve had a long dialogue with them to implement even stronger welfare protocols. The difficulty does still lie in ensuring these regulations enforced in such a large country.”
Oaten said he was a personal fan of pelts. “I use a lot of fur for interiors,” he said. “Though I’ve not yet found a fur coat that suits me.”
Sales for fur jackets and coat selling strong.
