Is the animal (fur) out of the closet?

 

Cindy Crawford in fur on the cover of Russian Vogue

This morning, whilst waiting for my boss to open the office, I indulged in one of my favourite pass times - vintage window shopping. I say window shopping because if I enter this particular op shop, I know I will leave a good deal of money there. As it is, there is an adorable pair of 50s style heels with a matching handbag that are singing a siren song to my purse. I really need to start leaving my cash at home (and freezing my credit card in a bucket of water, but that's another story).

Anyhoo, on this particular morning, as I was admiring said shoes and bag, something else caught my eye - a vintage fur jacket and matching hat. I was instantly confronted - fur?! I went through the usual 'is it real? No, it can't be - hang on - no! But yes, I think it is! Can it be?' And so then came the question: Is fur accepatable because it's vintage?



Recently, fur has been trying to make a comeback. In 2007, Cindy Crawford angered a lot of people by posing on the cover of Russian Vogue in a fur jacket, and, before that, agreeing to be the spokesperson for Blackglama, a range of mink clothing. Bold move, though not one to make you popular with the masses.


Now, I will state it up front: I do not like fur. I don't believe in killing animals in order to make yourself look good. But wait, doesn't that make me a hypocrite? I feel a bit like a hypocrite! I have leather shoes. And we stock upcycled leather handbags in our store.

It's a fact that I still don't know exactly how I feel about leather, given that I eat meat (insert 'we may as well use the whole animal' argument here). But I always felt that since the bags in my store were made from upcycled leather, it was ok. We were simply taking a hideous 80s style jacket that no-one wanted (and that would otherwise sit in an op shop, collecting dust) and turning it into something useful and beautiful. But hang on! you may say. By that reasoning, shouldn't it be ok to do the same thing with fur? Or is fur different, because it is often taken from endangered animals, rather than animals that are destined to die anyway in order to feed us?

OoOo, the ethical fashion field is just pitted with mines! Let's go peeps - What are your views on the subject? I'd love to hear your comments! And while you're at it, don't forget to vote in our pole (located just to the left) and tell us what eco-attribute is most important to you.

For my part, I think I'll leave the vintage fur to collect dust in the op shop, thank you very much.



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