COAT £136,
FRIENDTEX
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SNOOD £35,
ECLECTIC
Faux or real?
Every year, fashion week brings a sense of excitement and
wonder. The new lines, the beautiful people, the PETA protests.
Ria Wolstenholme explores the truth behind faux and real fur.
L
BOBBLE HAT £19.99,
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JACKET WITH STOLE £150,
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28
et’s be real, the world of fashion is
very fi rmly divided when it comes
to the topic of fur. Real versus
faux, you’ll have arguments for either
side, from some of the most unexpected
people. People will jump at the chance
to defend the world and its adorable
furry creatures. How dare we put them
in our clothes and adorn them like
trophies. But, you know, a steak doesn’t
matter. Because those animals are meant
for that.
Th ere’s a chink in the armour with this
theory. Th is idea that using an animal’s
skin and fur to make our clothes is
barbaric; but slaughtering them on a
mass scale and selling their fl esh in a
supermarket is OK? Something doesn’t
add up.
Th at said, those eco friendly save the
earth types should think twice when
they put on a faux fur piece in protest
of the real deal. Faux fur is commonly
made with petroleum, a non-renewable
compound that will not biodegrade. Th e
warmth and breathability isn’t the same,
the colours not as vivid or realistic and it
is just very obviously fake.
Th e worst thing for faux lovers is that
they’re not always being told the truth
about what level of faux their garments
are. High street stores in the UK carry
fur-free policies, not supporting the fur
industry at all. However, due to labelling
laws and guidelines, only 80% of the
materials used in the product have to
be declared. Th is means that certain
adornments such as pompoms, fur trims
and embellishments could actually be
real animal fur.
Th e fast fashion industry we are all
accustomed to means that each season
brings new things and trends to buy in
to. Th is throw away mentality means
that many people buy faux fur products,
keep them for a year or so and get rid of
them. Th ey end up in land fi lls, unable
to degrade. Real fur, on the other hand,
biodegrades naturally in six months to
a year.