Lillie Tuthill
Professor Perisse
ENG 120L-125
Multimedia Project
29 April 2014
Professor Perisse
ENG 120L-125
Multimedia Project
29 April 2014
Gucci Ready-to-Wear Fall/Winter 2011 Runway
New York Times News Service writer Jennifer Steinhauer writes, “ ‘ Fur sees resurgence in America’s fashion industry,’ Perhaps it started in the spring, when the fashion model Naomi Campbell, who once posed nude for an advertisement that read “I’d rather go naked than wear fur,” strolled down the Fendi runway draped in a sable-lined coat from the Italian fashion house (Steinhauer).
Since humans have walked the earth we have killed animals for food and their skin to use for warmth. Tom Regan writer of Animal Rights, Human Wrongs An Introduction to Moral Philosophy explains “Animal skins were of man’s earliest sartorial statements, serving the dual functions of protection and adornment” (Regan 13). It was not until later in time that fur became popular in fashion. “In the 1960s fashion designers began to reference the prehistoric by using untrimmed pelts and fashioning leather garments” (Regan 13). Fashion designers have made fur acceptable in the creation of coats, vests, and embellishments over time. Over 50 million animals die a year to be used in garments. Designer Fendi used fur, leather, and other exotic materials to embellish details in his fall 2014 Menswear collection. This arises the question, should real fur or faux fur be used in the fashion industry? Some may say yes, it creates a one of a kind piece, or some may say no for it kills innocent animals for no reason but selfishness.
FUR IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY TODAY
With technology today there is no need to kill animals when machines can create synthetics that are lifelike to fur. Using faux fur can add as much detail as real fur would, but for a less expensive cost and avoiding millions of animals being slaughtered.
The Process of Creating Faux Fur
With new technology being invented, companies all over the world are creating new fabrics made from many materials like recycled plastic bottles, recycled polyester and so on. Manufactures have been experimenting with creating exact look a like materials resembling animal fur. With the high popularity rates of faux fur being more accessible at mass accepted stores such as GAP, Old Navy, and Banana Republic, more people buy it.
A company located in North Carolina makes recycled polyester from plastic bottles
Designer Fendi used fur, leather, and other exotic materials to embellish details in his fall 2014 Menswear collection.
Many fashion designers continue to use real animal fur in Fall/Winter collections. Designers want to create a one of a kind piece for their luxury base target customer.
“Philosophical opponents of animal rights agree. If animals have the right to be respected at all; ... They have the right to be respected, the right not to be used as a tool to advance human interests” (Regan 29). Animal rights activist believe animals have the right not to be killed and used for their fur. The animal rights activists are right, when we have new technology creating very similar looking faux fur that is more accepted by the consumer. Animal rights have been becoming a more and more controversial issue over the years. In the book Animal Rights, Human Wrongs An Introduction to Moral Philosophy by Tom Regan, the author brings to the attention that “If animals have rights… then the way they are treated on farms and in biomedical research violates their rights, is wrong, and should be stopped, no matter how much humans have benefited from these practices in the past or how much we might benefit from having them continue in the future” (Regan 29). What the author is trying to say is, if we as humans continue to live the way we do by taking advantage of animals, then many animals could become extinct.
http://libcom.org/library/critique-animal-rights-ideology-undercurrent-6
Then why do designer still use real fur?
Designers have the options to use faux fur. This leads to the question to a sales associative at Old Navy, why they use faux fur for embellishment on winter coats instead of using real fur? The reason behind it is strictly because of price. The sales associative went into saying “Old Navy is a fairly low-end store that is affordable to most. The Old Navy shoppers strictly care about the low prices and quantity of clothing purchase versus the quality.” With this being said Old Navy’s fabrics and materials are of low-end quality so using real fur, as added detail to a garment is not an option and would be too costly for the target customer. In addition, to the easy convenience the faux fur allows for easy construction for the high quantity orders of the garment. Old Navy is also a “Fur-free” brand and does not believe in using animal fur in their clothing. Animal rights are being brought to more people’s attention every day and more people are agreeing that it is wrong for animals to be killed for the use of their fur.
High-end designers today charge outrageous amounts of money for real fur embellished garments or coats. “Fur’s linkage to fame, fortune, glamour” (Regan 57) this may be true in the 1960s for actors, actresses and the rich, but now there are so many other options available to the customer. The average cost for a real fur coat is between $699.95 and up; whereas, for a faux coat the average price is $29.00 and up. This shows that the customer can get a lot more for his or her money and buy about 23 faux coats for the average price of one real fur coat. The reason that faux fur is less expense than real fur is because to make faux it a lot easier than to kill animals and skin them.
Donna Karen: Draped shearling vest available at Neiman Marcus for $3,600.00
Romwe: Black & White Faux Fur Coat available at Romwe.com for $44.99
On the other hand, designer like Fendi, Gucci, and Chanel still use real animal fur in their collections. They defend their choice because they need to satisfy their loyal luxury clientele.
Fendi
Fall 2007 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Milan Fashion Week
Chinchilla and fox fur was used in the collection
Fall 2007 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Milan Fashion Week
Chinchilla and fox fur was used in the collection
Gucci
Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Milan Fashion Week
Lynx and fox fur was used in the collection
Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Milan Fashion Week
Lynx and fox fur was used in the collection
Chanel
Fall 2010 Couture Collection
Paris Fashion Week
Mink fur trim was used in the collection
Fall 2010 Couture Collection
Paris Fashion Week
Mink fur trim was used in the collection
After talking with Alza Elaz former Sales Associate at Miu Miu she exclaims how “Miu Miu is a high end store with beautiful luxurious pieces that have been designed in a mesmerizing ways”. Elaz answered the question, “Why do high-end designer use real fur in their Fall/Winter collections”? Elaz said, “Miuccia Prada head designer of Prada and sister company Miu Miu uses real fur in the collections because real fur creates a one of a kind piece that is unique and luxurious to our customers”. Celebrities and high society customers want a stand out garment or accessory that is unique or exotic.
Miu Miu
Pre-Fall 2010
Paris Fashion Week
Rabbit and other furs were used in the collection
Pre-Fall 2010
Paris Fashion Week
Rabbit and other furs were used in the collection
Outside viewers not involved in the fashion industry may think fashion is a waste and an excessive need. But others with a passion for fashion may look at fashion as a way to express themselves with what they wear or as an art. Fur should be used in the industry because designers should use the materials they want to, to create their vision and because humans have been using animal’s fur for centuries.
Miu Miu
Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Paris Fashion Week
Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Paris Fashion Week
While high-end designers feel the need to incorporate real animal fur in their collections other factors come into play that deteriorate the fur. Some of these factors include mold, exposure to sunlight, and a stiff feel. Overtime fur is also known to breakdown and weaken compromising the look of the garment. Real animal fur must be kept in certain conditions to maintain the soft luscious texture. It is important that fur garments be stores away from sunlight. Sunlight exposure causes animal fur to oxidize and fade. Real animal fur should also be stored in a circulating air kept room at 45 to 50 degree Fahrenheit temperature to preserve the animal fur garment. Otherwise real animal fur garments may become stiff and composed of mold. This is why faux fur is the perfect alternative, faux fur can be stored at many temperatures and is less likely to be attracted to mold and become stiff.
Animal cruelty is a dominant role as to why real animal fur should not be used in the fashion industry today. “And maybe most striking, many more designers, often up-and-comers, now use fur in their collections, and in dozens of new ways. Indeed, 42 designers worked with fur in 1985, while nearly 160 do today, said Stephanie Kenyon, spokeswomen for the Fur Information Council. And they make far more than coats” (Steinhauer). Jennifer Steinhauer’s states that more designers today are using real animal fur in their collections and not just in garments. But do the designers understand how fur farmers treat animals? “ Before they are skinned alive, animals are pulled from their cages and thrown to the ground; workers bludgeon them with metal rods or slam them on hard surfaces, causing broken bones and convulsions but not always immediate death” (Peta). This is an example of how the poor animals like mink, rabbits, and foxes are treated at the fur farms that will all be turned into fur garments. China fur farms supply over half of the United States finished fur garments that are imported for sales. Animal cruelty needs to stop and alternatives need to be used, innocent animals do not need skinned for our excessive need to embellish or create a garment when fabrics can be created through new machinery.
Fur was the first kind of clothing used for humans. Archaeologists and anthropologists have found that the earliest clothing likely consisted of fur, leather, leaves or grass and was draped, wrapped or tied around the body in the time period of 30,000BC. Since humans have been using fur as a source of clothing for much time now, we as humans should still be able too. An image from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. titled “Children in Eskimo fur clothing” display young Eskimo children covered in handmade fur clothing. The photograph dates back to the early 1900s, and was taken in Seward, Alaska. This photograph is an example of how humans use animal fur as their first source of clothing, and that we as human should still be able to use fur in the fashion industry.
Designers that use real fur want to create a-one-of-a-kind look. Faux fur can do the same trick for less, new technology is creating the exact look a likes to real fur, animals have rights to live to not be killed, faux fur is also less expensive, real animal fur deteriorates over time and is animal cruelty.
It is more controversial to use animal fur in the industry of fashion because with the new technology man can create synthetics that imitate real fur, it is also not right to kill innocent animals to use their fur in garments, and it is less expensive to use the faux in clothing and embellishments, real fur also breaks down over time if not stored correctly and it is of animal cruelty. The synthetics are an oil-based material and machines transform it into fur looking materials. The look-a-like fur is dyed to mock real life animals such as mink and rabbit. The two most common animals killed for their fur. There are no reasons for animals to be killed for the use of their fur. With the million different kinds of fabrics out there made of cotton, silk, and polyester to choose from for clothing choices. Cotton is one of the most popular fibers used in fabrics because of its favorable characteristics. A garment can still come from good quality while being at a low cost; you just have to find the right one.
Faux fur should be the choice of material in the fashion industry today because of the benefits for animals, lower costs and with new technologies to create life like animal furs without animal cruelty and the difficulties of storing real animal fur.
WORK CITED
"A Shocking Look Inside Chinese Fur Farms | PETA.org." A Shocking Look Inside Chinese Fur Farms | PETA.org. Peta, 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Carpenter, Frank. “Children in Eskimo Fur Clothing” Photograph. Library of congress [Washington, D.C.] 1930: Web. 3 Apr 2014.
Elaz, Alza. "Miu Miu." Personal interview. Mar.-Apr. 2014.
Steinhauer, Jennifer. "Fur Sees Resurgence in America's Fashion Industry." Editorial. Journal Record [Oklahoma City, Okla.] 17 Oct. 1997: n. pag. Proquest. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Regan, Tom. Animal Rights, Human Wrongs: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003. Print.
Vingan, Alyssa. "Fashionista." Web log post. Fashionista. Disqus, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
"A Shocking Look Inside Chinese Fur Farms | PETA.org." A Shocking Look Inside Chinese Fur Farms | PETA.org. Peta, 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Carpenter, Frank. “Children in Eskimo Fur Clothing” Photograph. Library of congress [Washington, D.C.] 1930: Web. 3 Apr 2014.
Elaz, Alza. "Miu Miu." Personal interview. Mar.-Apr. 2014.
Steinhauer, Jennifer. "Fur Sees Resurgence in America's Fashion Industry." Editorial. Journal Record [Oklahoma City, Okla.] 17 Oct. 1997: n. pag. Proquest. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Regan, Tom. Animal Rights, Human Wrongs: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003. Print.
Vingan, Alyssa. "Fashionista." Web log post. Fashionista. Disqus, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.