Leave fur to its owner!

What fashion industry and animals have in common? Fur. As you may know, some brands of clothing still use animal’s fur to create their collection. Unfortunately, this practice has nothing to do with taking skin from animals that have died from natural cause. To embellish their garment, some designers are ready to encourage awful practices. The truth may disturb you.

Did you know that, every year, approximately 50 million of animals just to make a coat or a pair of boots prettier? Beavers, chinchillas, foxes, minks, rabbits, raccoons,seals, bears and even dogs and cats (China) are amount the number of animals slaughtered in the name of fashion.

Fur: Winter best friend?

Some may say that fur keeps you warm. It was true long time ago. Fur was the only fabric hot enough to live in the cold weather of some country (and as a Canadian, I know what I am talking about cold temperature!). But today, winter clothing companies develop many different textiles that are as hot, even hotter, than real fur. Now, wearing fur is much more to show people how rich and/or fashion you are than surviving Siberian cold.

More and more, organizations like PETA started to show the world how the animals were killed for their fur. Videos shows suffering animals, some being drowned and even skinned alive for their pelts! You can watch those videos on the official PETA’sYouTube channel. It is really disturbing and not easy to watch, but it may be an eye opener for those who still wear fur. You have been warned.

Encourage fur-free brand to help animals

Unfortunately, there are still many brands and designers that use fur just to embellish their clothing. They encourage cruel slaughter of healthy animals in the name of fashion. What can you do to help? Of course, not buying any piece of clothing with fur is a very good start, but you can also boycott brands known for their use of this fabric and buy only from fur-free retailers like Guess, Forever 21, H&M, FootLocker, Killah, etc. For an exhaustive list you can go on The HumaneSociety of the United States (HSUS) website. 

Careful with fake fur

You don’t want to encourage such a cruel industry but still like the look of fur? You can now buy clothing with fake fur that looks and feels almost exactly the same than the real one. You have to be really careful when come the time to buy fake fur. HSUS investigators noticed that some companies don’t write properly there is fur in the garment you are buying. To make sure that you fur is fake, you can compare with the guide HSUS did expressly for this reason. 

Anti-Fur campaigns and celebrities involved

You probably ever see those ad with a celebrity saying “I’d rather (do something) naked than wear fur” or “Ink, Not Mink”. Those PETA‘s photo-shoots are made to bring reaction, and it usually work pretty well. Stars like Karina Smirnoff, Carey Hart, Eva Mendes, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee participate to those ads to convince the public to not wear fur.

Finally, you can also sign PETA’s pledge for a fur free world.