London – Although the catwalks at Milan Fashion Week were awash with all shapes and
colours of fur this season, research shows that fur fell out of favour and
the limelight at its British counterpart,
According to a poll conducted by PETA, 86 per cent of designers who
presented their designs on the catwalk and in the designer showrooms did
not use real fur in their 2016 autumn/winter collections, indicating a
difference in opinions in the use of real fur among designers as well as
countries.
Foxes are one of the many animals confined to life in a cage before being slaughtered for their fur
The animal rights organization, who polled all designers featured during
LFW, results draw a stark comparison to the collections shown overseas in
Milan, Italy which featured over 100 fur pieces from labels like MaxMara,
Cavalli and Prada. However, it was luxury Italian fashion house Fendi which
showcased the most fur, with a total of 26 pieces from their ready-to-wear
collection including fur, as well as two mink handbags accessories.
Prada’s AW 16 collection
But, across the pond at London Fashion Week only a handful of designers
used real fur – despite a big PR push from the fur industry. Prior to the
fashion event, former MP and chief executive of the International Fur Trade
Federation Mark Oaten said, “I’ll be disappointed if we don’t see fur on at
least 80 percent of the catwalks,” an estimation which ended up being very
far from the mark.
Two fur looks from Fendi’s AW 16 collection
Out of 83 designers who hosted traditional runway shows and presentations,
23 used real fur, which means that 73 percent of the designers showcasing
their collections on the catwalks did not use fur. In addition, 82 per cent
of women’s wear designers investigated at LFW did not use real fur and 84
per cent of accessories, footwear and handbags designers did not include
real fur in their collections at LFW.
LFW designers who did include real fur in their collections included
Alexander McQueen, Amanda Wakeley, Anya Hindmarch, Burberry, Christopher
Kane and Roksanda. However, on the other hand, designers who used faux fur,
or did not include any type of fur in their collections at all include
Shrimps, Simone Rocha, Topshop Unique, Paul Costello, Ashish, Toga and
Sophie Beale Milliner.
Shrimps AW 16 collection
“PETA’s latest research proves that today’s fashion designers won’t stoop
low enough to buy into the fur industry’s failing attempts to keep fur
relevant”, commented PETA Director Mimi Bekhechi. “Modern designers simply
want nothing to do with an industry that cages, electrocutes and skins
animals alive.”