I printed off the brief that my collaboration group have chosen to work on which is the D&AD Fur For Animals. I read it through and I have highlighted certain things that stick out to me.
Highlighted areas:
- Russia and China seem to be the worst countries for using real fur.
- We are creating ONLINE CONTENT (video or image).
- Shareable
- Social
- Awareness
- Spark conversations
- Making a difference
- Persuade
- Big impact
- Audience behaviour
- Making it relevant
- What effectively prompts behaviour change?
- Don't alienate
- Something that people want to watch and share
- Different social platforms
- Video formats
- Mobile and social mindset
- Worldwide
These are all things that we need to take into consideration within our project. We divided up certain aspects of the research so that we would come with different aspects instead of looking at the same things.
The role of fur in fashion:
History of fur in fashion
'Animal pelts, or fur and leather, have been used by humankind as clothing since the earliest times to protect their bodies from climatic conditions and harm. Furs and leather have remained popular over the ages because of their warmth, durability, and their status symbol.
In certain early societies animal pelts and their by-products took on mystical or spiritual powers when worn by hunters or the ruling classes.
In European societies luxury furs became associated with social stratification. In the last two centuries, the growing middle classes in Western Europe and in North America have developed a love for fashion furs as a way of expressing their social status, or to give themselves an ultra-modern look.
Since the 1980s questions have been raised about the ethics of using animal products as entire species may have been wiped out by fashion (Lee, 2003, p. 254).'
(http://www.fashionintime.org/history-fur-fashion-introduction/)
- In early societies hunters believed the animal would transfer its strength, power, courage, skills, prowess, and fertility
- Particular animal skins or furs were reserved for the ruling and elite classes.
- Laws stopped certain classes of people from wearing certain furs.
- Since the 19th Century, new machines have been invented to transform animal pelts at much lesser costs than in the past centuries.
- Advancements in technologies allowed fur to be available for the masses.
- Present day designers are still featuring luxury furs and leather in their collections, notably: Michael Kors, Fall Winter, 2012; Marc Jacobs, Fall 2011; Hugo Boss Women’s, Fall 2011; Jean Paul Gaultier, Spring/Summer, 2011; Vera Wang, Fall 2011, and others.
Why is fur back in fashion?
- Top models who once posed for ads with slogans like “We’d rather go naked than wear fur” have gone on to model fur.
- Fashion designers who were “afraid to touch it” 15 or 20 years ago have also “gotten past that taboo,”
- Many people now seem to regard wearing fur as a matter of individual choice.
- It turns up now in all seasons and on throw pillows, purses, high heels, key chains, sweatshirts, scarves, furniture, and lampshades. There are camouflage-pattern fur coats, tie-dyed fur coats, and fur coats in an optical illusion M. C. Escher box pattern. There’s even a fur pom-pom that’s a Karl Lagerfeld Mini-Me, created by the designer in his own image and dubbed Karlito.
- New restrictions in the 1970s ended the use of endangered species in fashion.
- The leading fur auction houses began bringing in designers and design students at the height of the antifur movement. The ambition was for all designers to have “flirted with the material” early in their careers, said Julie Maria Iversen of Kopenhagen Fur. The aim has always been to move beyond furrier shops and fur departments, and make fur just another fine fabric, available wherever clothes are sold.
- Producing fur in whatever colour, new sewing techniques and affordability.
- “We start with the young consumer buying a fur key ring, then maybe a little later she has more money for a fur bag,” she said. “Eventually she buys a full coat.” It’s “all part of the agenda, to inspire the upcoming generation of women.”
- Many fur farmers manage to provide humane care on a large scale, but others can’t or won’t.
- A WelFur visit requires about six hours to inspect a 120-cage sample for 22 features.
(http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/09/skin-trade-fur-fashion/)
Fur represents luxury, an object of desire which became a defining quality of popular culture. It represented a dream of a better life. But it also can be worn for many years - it has longevity. In public opinion research conducted by the Fur Council of Canada, the majority of women who wore fur said that it was primarily for warmth.
Animals used for clothing:
- Silk worms
- Seals
- Rabbits
- Foxes
- Sheep
- Lambs
- Chiru
- Minks
- Beavers
- Dogs
- Cats
- Cows
- Raccoons
- Chinchillas
- Snakes
- Bears
- Lizards
- Crocodiles
etc
Faux fur:
Fake fur is a type of textile fabric fashioned to simulate genuine animal fur. It is known as a pile fabric and is typically made from polymeric fibers that are processed, dyed, and cut to match a specific fur texture and color. First introduced in 1929, advances in polymer technology have tremendously improved fake fur quality. Today's fake furs can be nearly indistinguishable from the natural furs they imitate.
(http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Fake-Fur.html#ixzz4Z9g5j8bL)
As the demand for faux fur has gone up, products have been mislabelled and might actually be real fur.
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