FURRY FASHION

The use of fur in fashion sparked debate for many years now, with many organisations and their people dedicating their lives to highlight the cruelty and mistreatment of animals used. 

It's not just a question of which camp do you sit in; to wear fur, or to not wear fur? But are you aware of industry behind it? Ignorance is no longer an option with graphic and sometimes disturbing pictures and video that could turn Ronald McDonald himself to a Veganism.

The animal cruelty is not the only issue now,  but also the environmental damages.  According to Choose Cruelty Free , a non profit organisation , furs are loaded with chemicals to stop them from "decomposing". These chemicals and the ones used in fur production are polluting our atmosphere as well, with it taking a whopping 60 times more energy to produce real furs instead of a faux option. 

Groups like PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) have campaigned since the 80's and have accomplished many milestones in the fight towards stopping animal cruelty. They have used celebrity endorsements for many of their campaigns, including "I'd rather go naked than wear fur", and more recently "try telling HIM it's just a little fur trim". 

Timeline of fur debate using celebrities and different publications.

Although PETA has had many celebrity endorsements and won many cases, their methods are questioned. The shock tactic adverts have been called racist and "perverse" where protestors say using naked women in their campaigns is "exploitation". They have seen a backlash to their adverts, with many of them being deemed too controversial for TV.

Celebrity endorsements do not end with the animal rights groups, a lot of them seem to be happy to pose for various furriers, promoting expensive fur in these credit crunch times. Could times really be that hard for celebs that they are now risking it all for one pay check?  Surely in these "go green and ethical times", where you even have to take your own environmentally friendly bag with you just to do your food shopping, posing with a dead animal on you would not see your popularity soar. But Liz Hurley is doing just that in her new campaign for Blackglama, following in the footsteps of Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn. In their days of glamour fur was an aspiration, now with all the extra information we have it doesn't have quite the same decadence but instead a guilty tinge. And the companies life-long headline, "What becomes a legend most?" now raises a lot of new answers.

A recent survey asking if the use of fur in fashion is wrong there was a clear and passionate split between people being "strongly" in favour or against it, showing that it is still an ongoing and important debate worldwide.

One person commented with: 

"If it is solely for fashion, yes. If it is for warmth but well-styled, no. Example: in California, i lived near the coast. I remember the last time it actually dipped below freezing one night. No fur. Here, it routinely gets down to single digits at night in January. Sheepskin hat and scarf, down coat."

An immediate reply for another user, said:

"I'm telling PETA on you..."

The EU is putting a complete ban on products that have been tested on animals by 2009, it leads me to wonder, how many years of debating, protests and shock tactics are left before there is a ban on animals being used in fashion.

*Survey created on Ask500people, pictures from Flickr creative commons, dippity timeline*

THE ART OF ECO-SHOPPING!

Finding ethical fashion is a mind-field of differing options. How do you know what to get, and where and how much for!!

Here i have given a few tips on where to get the best of guilt free shopping...as long as you don't look at your credit card statement. 

Major publications are starting to realise the importance of the ethical issue with the Guardian even setting up a whole fashion directory dedicated to the cause.

BASICS

Starting with the basics, everyone needs good underwear, what about 100% organic, certified Fair Trade briefs, thongs and vests as People Tree. (Part of IFAT)

People Tree say:

"Our collections are all the more special because they make imaginative use of local skills (handwoven fabrics, hand screen printing and hand embroidery are used a great deal), which creates as much employment as possible in areas that really need it."

DENIM

On to outer wear and denim with a heart you could not do better than Edun, this revolutionary brand has been born out of a collaboration between Bono and his wife Ali Hewson and the designer Rogan. Together they have produced jeans of organic cotton made in family run factories in South America and Africa which operate fair practices for all its workers. They even have Rainer Rilke poems stitched on the inside for that individual touch.

JEWELRY

Jewelry can be a tricky one unless you have millions in the bank for custom made pieces. 

FACT: When mining enough gold for an average sized wedding band produces approximately20 tons of waste. Further more cyanide from the process can contaminate  the local water supply.

Expensive: John Hardy - beautiful pieces, and one of the first ethically conscious Jewelry designers. 

Cheap:   Oxfam has an amazing range of ethical pieces available to buy at their online store.

ECO ON THE RUNWAY

A sneak peek at the the most ethical collection on the runway, she even produces "vegan shoes"...it's Stella McCartney Spring/Summer 2009.

RECYCLE

Recycling clothing helps up your ethical credentials. It can be done in a number of ways not just through getting rid of your old clothes in sensible way so they don't end up in landfills but also buying in an ethical way. You can now shop online at Oxfam, many vintage stores, swap clothes with your friends, or make your own as demonstrated in the Frock Swap show on BBC1:

BACKLASH

Can "green" shopping really save the planet?

Greenwashers beware... using eco to advertise.

*Videos from You Tube (all with embed codes) Pictures from Creative Commons, Flickr*

SWAP SHOP

 Feeling the sweatshop guilt of shopping in Primark? Where your clothing is made to the detriment of the workers who virtually live in the “factories” creating throwaway fashion for us. We completely blow our carbon footprint by flying it over to the UK, only to act like hooligans at a football match, elbows at the ready to clasp that coveted £2 top everyone within 10 square meters has already.

With the current financial climate ethics is not the only reason to find a new way to shop cheaply. Recycling has become even more inventive and has transcended into fashion. Originality is the key and, if you can find it on your doorstep for free you can spend your days relaxing and enjoying your new beautiful clothes without feeling the pinch of the wallet for yet another throwaway outfit, or the punch in the Primarni scrum.

There are plenty of ways of getting your hands on a home-grown, stylish bargain. We all know about vintage shopping; you need an open mind and patience to get through the junk but can find hidden gems. The owner of successful, paper doll vintage boutique, London (www.paperdoll.co.uk) cites the north as her secret wholesalers. Coming up to places such as Yorkshire to buy vintage then sell it at a mark up in London, proves you don’t have to be southern to have style.

People in the industry are supporting this new era of shopping. Paula Reed, editor of Grazia, and Twiggy, famous style icon and supermodel, have combined forces for a new prime time television programme Frock Swap. This programme is aired on a Tuesday night on BBC1 at 9pm and introduces a new mode of shopping called “swishing” in the industry. They set up a shop based entirely on clothes donated by 100 women of varying ages and sizes and then allow them to shop for free under the ethos “one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure”. The women are offered style advice with designers on hand to customise certain items to make them current. They also give advice on how to create this season’s looks for free such as Gothic and Lace. And also what labels to look for if buying vintage that will be “investment,” labels such as Ossie Clarke.

Celebrity fashion icons including Matthew Williamson are also calling this movement “pioneering,” whilst regular on the fashion circuit, Fearne Cotton gave it her thumbs up. It is truly a “revolutionary” way to shop which Twiggy describes as “it’s going to be the next big thing”. Information on where events will be happening, as well as information on how to create your own swap shop, and how to customise or “recycle” your old clothes are shown on the website.

So if you are fed up with the fear of dreaded cloning, walking into a party and seeing someone else wearing the same dress that you so painfully fought to buy embrace the new genre. Oxfam is even stepping up its game using Jane Shepherdson, formerly of Topshop, now Oxfam’s new creative director, to jump feet first into this frontier of fashion. The first of their Oxfam “boutiques” opened in London on the 10th May 2008 with specially selected on-trend clothing. Although we are waiting for our very own “boutique” to open, Preston has an Oxfam vintage store on Friargate, so it’s time to shop ethically and cheaply.

Written by Natalie Verdin for PR1: Published 14/11/08

ETHICAL FASHION: CONFUSING TERRITORY?

The current climate is turning green, there are new precedents set for environmental issues spanning from hybrid cars, recycling to fashion.

In these disposable days of throw-away  fashion, where are the ethics, and how do you wade through the confusing territory to an understanding?

Frequently Asked Questions

 What is ethical fashion?

Ethical fashion includes elements of design, production, retail, and purchasing. And covers working conditions, exploitations, fair trade, sustainable production, hazardous chemicals, waste and animal welfare.

Why is it needed?

Damaging effects to the environment are only the beginning of the problem. High volumes of clothes are produced for our benefit in third world countries, in a bid to keep production costs down. The conditions of the sweatshops are disgusting, and high street big names like GAP and Nike have been accused of bad practice. 

What are the serious concerns?

• Exploitive working conditions.
  
• Child Workers (below the legal working age in UK)
  
• Dangerous chemicals that are harmful to the environment and it's workers.
  
• Disposable "cheap" fashion means that much of it is heading for landfill sites.
  
• Animal cruelty for clothing.

What is Fair Trade?

Fair trade items can be spotted by the IFAT label. Fair trade works with fashion retailers to give them assurance that their workers are being given a fair price and good working conditions. 

What is the Fair Labour Association (FLA)?

The FLA combines industry, non-governmental organisations and academic institutes to to promote international working conditions.

What is the difference between ethical trading and Fair Trade?

Fair trade organisations seek to work with marginalised groups to help them in finding markets for their products and give them a better life. Ethical trading, are businesses with a heart and morals around certain subjects. A Fair Trade business has to be ethical in everything they do, but an ethical company is not necessarily Fair Trade.

How can I help?

• Ask a lot of questions, look out for Fair Trade labels.
  
• If unsure of a companies policies, go to their website or call head office to get an answer before you buy.
  
• Buy better quality less often, not only will it be more stylish but it will last longer and reduce the masses of clothing going into landfill sites.
  
• Use techniques such as "swishing" the new swap shop phenomena.
  
• Read, read, read and educate yourself about the ethical world of fashion. A good start is Matilda Lee's Eco Chic: the Savvy Shopper's Guide to Ethical Fashion.