Fur coats have always been a contentious staple piece, demanding attention and dominating an outfit. Despite their apparent gaudiness, they rarely slip from fashion, seeming to simply transfer between aesthetics whenever they border on overused. Popular with old Hollywood stars, then 70s wannabe gangsters, 2000s McBling icons and now a cornerstone of the frazzled English woman aesthetic. A truly fluid piece!
However, like with all immortality contracts, the many lives of the fur coat come with a price. The fur farming industry is disgustingly unethical and consumerist. Biodiversity across Europe is eroded by the cruel capturing of wild mink, foxes, rabbits, and too many more. From there, they are kept in cramped cages rife with disease and cannibalism until their culling, all for their small pelts. The environmental impact doesn’t end there, with the amount of energy used in the transportation, feeding, curing, and shipping processes causing even more pollution, damaging local environments and creatures. Waste run-off from these farms irreparably pollutes waterways across the globe.
Unfortunately, many designers choose to ignore these threats to life, continuing to promote real fur looks on their runways and in their lookbooks. Just last month, PETA protested Creative Director Pharrell Williams’ use of fur coats and alligator skin in his Louis Vuitton collections to no avail. Similar companies like Canada Goose, Moncler, Marc Jacobs and more also turn a blind eye.
By comparison, faux fur products have a smaller environmental impact. Still guilty of releasing microplastics and failing to biodegrade, the climate effects of these replicas are far less than real fur farming. If you’re looking for a cheaper and identical alternative, then this should be an option.
The only thing cooler than rocking a fur coat this winter is posting the candids of you hunting for one at the car boot, chai latte in hand.
Even more fun, vintage shopping! Car boot sales, Facebook marketplace, Vinted, eBay and more sell second-hand authentic fur coats by the hundreds. The only thing cooler than rocking a fur coat this winter is posting the candids of you hunting for one at the car boot, chai latte in hand. And they come with the mysterious cigarette smell built in!
Ethically hunting down these finds is a major part of fashionista culture, so if you want to earn your fur trimmings, then get scrolling. Sweeping afghans and fluffy leopard print coats are absolutely in style this winter. Embrace the maximalism of the mid-2020s with a new staple piece, and float around the city’s jazz bars on the ethical graces of your second-hand shopping.
