Fur has been a staple in royal fashion for hundreds of years. The fur used in traditional royal clothing was ermine. Ermine is a very distinctive fur as it is usually white with black spots. The black spots in the fur are made by sewing in the tail ends to the main body of fur. Ermine is an expensive fur due to it being a small animal and the garments are usually large royal gowns. An ermine is also commonly known as a stoat and has a winter and a summer coat. the summer coat is brown and the winter coat is white. the winter coat is more commonly used in royal fashion.

Royal garments containing ermine are most commonly coronation gowns. The gown was made just for this occasion and contained an ermine fur robe. The robe was made and checked by tailors to make sure that the tails were evenly spaced.

The use of ermine in fashion and royalty has changed throughout the years with Queen Elizabeth II has recently stated that she will no longer be buying any new fur to wear but will carry on wearing fur that she already owns. With fur being a staple in the royal wardrobe this is a big statement and shows the changing times and modern opinions.

Fashion designers have also used royal fur inspiration in their collections. John Galliano created a garment for Dior in 2004 which was made to look like a royal gown. The dress is grand and luxurious with a modern twist along with the use of fur. Although the fur is made to look like ermine it is in fact made from rabbit. Taking something that is usually royal and making it more common by making the ‘look’ widely available is modern.

I will post a bibliography at the end of the blog

Fur has been used in fashion for centuries. From the earliest recorded time it has been known that fur was worn by people to protect their bodies from harsh climates. Furs and animal skins were popular due to their warmth, durability and now their status symbol.

Early societies saw animal skins and furs with mystical and spiritual powers. They believed that some of the characteristics and powers of the creature the product used to belong to would be passed on the the person wearing the product. This meant that hunters would wear skins and furs so that they could gain techniques which would help them to hunt.

With furs being made increasingly popular and exclusive, in the 11th century some countries reserved their furs for royalty as they didn’t want anyone to look more higher in social status than the king or queen. There were even laws in countries such as France which meant that people in certain social classes were made to wear different classes of fur. These laws meant that certain social classes were picked out and everyone could see how wealthy others were from looking at what clothes and furs they were wearing.

However, later in European societies furs started to be seen as a status symbol. People of Western Europe and North America in the 13th and 14th century enjoyed wearing furs as they were used to express their social status. Furs were also seen as modern and anyone who could afford to wear them was put at a higher social rank.

Since the 1980s there has been issues raised around the ethics of all animal products. With the views of organisations such as PETA brands have started to use less fur and are gradually bring in alternatives such as faux fur. However, fur hasn’t been completely abolished by the work of activists and is still very popular.

For decades fur has been worn my celebrities as a symbol of elegance, class and wealth. It is now however starting to reduce as more and more people have strong opinions about the fashion accessories.

Film stars have been seen to be wearing fur in movies and also on the red carpet. Celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe had statement fur pieces which she would pair with a range of different outfits and red carpet looks. Two main pieces of fur which Monroe wore were a mink fur collar and a white fox fur muff with a satin lining. She could be seen wearing the fox fur muff to film premieres such as ‘Some Like it Hot’ where the actress dressed to impress in exquisite gowns and luxurious accessories. Owning her own furs meant that she had money and this showed off her wealth to the public.

Other celebrities who have worn fur in the past include:

• Kate Moss
• Kim Kardashian
• Kanye West
• Joan Rivers
• Beyoncé
• Paris Hilton
• lady Gaga
• Elizabeth Taylor
• Anna Wintor

I will post a bibliography at the end of the blog

PETA is an international nonprofit charitable organisation which was founded in 1980 in Virginia, America. They have strong views about how animals should be treated as they believe that animals do have rights.

The organisation has four areas which they focus on the most as these are the types of animal cruelty which can cause animals to suffer for the longest periods of time. These are :

• Laboratories
• Factory farms
• Clothing trade
• Entertainment industry

The use of fur in fashion can come into two of these areas; factory farms and clothing trade. There are still some brands, such as Dolce & Gabbana who farm animals such as rabbits for their fur. For brands such as this they are using two of the main areas that PETA are trying to stop.

They have an interesting statement on their website which says ‘animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way’ (PETA, 2020). From this quote they have made the statement of the organisation clear by listing every factor which they believe counts as animal cruelty.

Within the clothing industry PETA’s focus is more than just fur. They are against any use of fur, leather and wool as their studies show that most of these products are taken from abused animals. From this they also promote being vegan and using vegan and sustainable alternatives. This proves that becoming vegan is a way of life and not just a diet.

From looking at the PETA website and finding the range of billboards they have created it is clear to see the opinions that have gone into the advertising. There are a range of current designs with many showing graphic imagery or strong words. There is also a clear message to go vegan and stop using animal products.

I will post a bibliography at the end of the blog

With opinions on real fur increasing fashion brands are starting to steer away from real animal products and starting to using faux fur. faux fur has been commonly seen in the high street as an affordable alternative to the real products in designer collections. Below is a list of brands that are using faux fur.

• New Look
• H&M
• Stella McCartney
• Mary Katrantzou
• Gucci
• Versace
• Tommy Hilfier
• Giorgio Armani
• Michael Kors
• Prada
• Miu Miu
• Burberry
• Calvin Klein

In the 21st century there are a lot of views around the use of certain materials. fur has been controversial but there are still a lot of brands which are using animal products such as fur in their collections. Below is a list of brands which are using real fur.

• Ralph & Russo
• Dior
• Celine
• Dolce & Gabbana
• Louis Vuitton
• Marc Jacobs
• Balenciaga
• Valentino
• Fendi
• Paco Rabanne
• Yves Saint Laurent
• Tom Ford
• Philipp Plein
• Oscar de la Renta

In the 21st century plant based diets have become increasingly popular. Vegetarian and vegan diets are seen as a trend but a trend which is increasing. A lot of people who are picking up a vegan diet often also make not a lifestyle rather than just a diet. Plant based diets are nutritious and can really benefit a persons health.

For people who have made veganism their lifestyle as well as their diet, they will also be thinking about what clothes they are buying and if they are free of any animal products. High street stores have started to produce ranges of clothing and accessories which are vegan friendly.

New Look have a vegan range which includes shoes, clothes and bags. A lot of the products which are labelled as vegan are made to look like they are leather. They are in fact made from a polyester main them faux leather. The products are alternatively labelled as ‘leather-look’, ‘suedette’ and ‘faux snake’. Not only are the main fabrics of the pieces animal free but no animal glues would have been used to put together the bags or shoes.

Shop the New Look vegan range here: https://www.newlook.com/uk/vegan-fashion?searchTerm=vegan&searchType=keyword-redirect

The recent increase in popularity for the vegan diet over the last 10 years has definitely influenced the fashion industry. Designers are considering whether their collections will still be as popular if they don’t appeal to a vegan market. It has always been about trends in fashion and now the vegan trend is influencing it even more.

A major part of the changes in the fashion industry is due to the increasing awareness of sustainability. Sustainability allows people to exist without effecting the world around them. There are different areas of sustainability which are environmental, economic and social. When thinking about what fabrics you are going to use for creating garments you now have to think about the environmental impact it could have.

The use of faux animal products instead of real ones means that animals won’t be harmed for their skins. This could make it environmentally and socially sustainable. However using polyester substitutes for the natural furs and skins means that the materials won’t decompose and will therefore be bad for the environment.

Most high end fashion brands have been trying to make their collections sustainable for a while. This could be by finding more sustainable fabric sources or making sure that their workers get a fair pay. Sustainability makes you think about the full life of a product rather than just the product itself.

With fashion designers choosing to stay away from real fur a lot of collections have started to use faux fur. Faux fur has always been popular on the high street due to it being more affordable to the larger audience. However faux fur has been made more luxurious over time because of its use on the catwalk.

Stella McCartney included faux fur in her Autumn/Winter 2019 collection. Her brand has been free of animal products since its was established in 2001, which at the time was a completely different view to other designers. The jacket below was created for the Autumn/Winter 2019 collection. it is faux fur made with 95% acetate and 5% modacrylic (Stella McCartney, 2020).

Mary Katrantzou has also used faux fur on the catwalk. In her Autumn/Winter 2018 collection she had a range of coats in her collection which looked as though they were mink. The coat below has a composition of 100% acrylic (Mary Katrantzou, 2020) but does look a lot like the real mink.

I will post a bibliography at the end of the blog

Even though some brand have steered away from using real animal products, a lot of designers still include it in their main collections. From shoes, garments and accessories fur is still commonly seen on the catwalk at major shows.

From watching the Spring/Summer 2020 Ralph and Russo show it’s clear to see that the use of mink and ostrich feathers are key to the connection of the collection. The use of flowing satin as a fabric in the collection contrasts well with the use of mink in a heavy coat.

The collection is a mix of formal wear and casual wear and sometimes these themes mix in one outfit. With the more formal dresses the use of ostrich feather alongside embroidered tulle is a great combination as the structure of the dress is contrasted with the movement of the feathers. Without these ostrich feather the dress would not have the same impact on the consumer, it makes it look luxurious and expensive.

Along with the garments a lot of the shoes are also made from mink or suede. The collection contains a range of different shoes including, suede and mink slides, suede knee high boots and suede, mesh and neoprene sneakers. Out of the 47 looks in the collection there are only 8 outfits which don’t contain a shoe with no animal products. The products used are leather, suede and mink.

Watch the Ralph & Russo Spring/Summer 2020 show on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYpuayEFP9I

I will post a bibliography at the end of the blog.