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Have you heard the news? Fur is making a comeback. Whilst there are many things that we Semple girls will do for fashion, turning a blind eye to the cruelty and mistreatment of animals for an item of clothing is not one of them. But there is no need to let this trend pass us by; for this autumn fur might be back but this time the absolutely only way to go, is to go faux!
Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing; worn by our ancient, ancient ancestors out of the need for cover and warmth. Even once there was no longer the necessity to wear fur, it has remained a popular item throughout history as a symbol of wealth and luxury. Recent fashion history has a much more difficult relationship with fur as the general public became much more conscious of the ethical responsibility behind their fashion choices. Animal rights organisations such as PETA helped to highlight the cruelty that exists in the fur trade and was the driving force behind the anti-fur campaigns which reached their height in the eighties and nineties, including their famous “Naked” campaign which has been backed by many celebrities over the decades and uses the tagline “I’d rather go naked than wear fur”. This resulted in the controversial skins being, for the most part, relegated to the fashion halls of shame.
If you are a fan of fur you need not go to the extremes of nakedness to avoid the real thing, instead you could always go faux. Faux fur was first introduced in 1929 and has been available commercially since the fifties but was often seen as a poor substitute. Thanks to much advancement in sartorial technology, more recent history has seen faux fur quickly become a much chicer and ethical choice than real fur. Now as we head into AW14 faux fur (or fun fur) is popping up all over the shops.
River Island Pink Faux Fur Coat £100
Prepare yourself for the British autumn chill by introducing yourself to Shrimps. The newly-launched faux fur label is the brain child of Hannah Weiland and has been a driving force behind fashion embracing faux fur. Redefining fun fur with pastel coats and scarfs with flashes of neon take the nostalgia out of fur and gives it a new contemporary, and slightly surreal, twist.
Shrimps Dulcie Coat £595
Shrimps Ivana Scarf £175
If Shrimps is a little out of your price range you can still get in on the act as the high street is quickly filling their rails with faux furs for the new season. Get in early with a colour pop fur stole and then breeze through the British winter in a chic and ethical fur coat. Fashion is finally having fun with fun fur, so get involved in the guilt free action and go faux!
ASOS Vintage Faux Fur Coat £65 / Topshop Faux Fur Clutch £28
By Samantha Vandersteen
