Fashion & Beauty
Whose Skin Are You In?
Taking another look at animal-friendly fashion
By Bryan O'Gorman
November 2008
Ralph Lauren. John Varvatos. Tommy Hilfiger.
Abercrombie and & Fitch. J. Crew. Lucky Brand Jeans.
The list of designers and companies that are refusing to sell fur goes on and on, and gets longer every day. As consumers become more aware of fur's origins—from animals in the wild caught in metal-jawed traps to, far more often, those electrocuted or gassed on fur farms—clothiers become more aware of their dwindling ability to profit from such practices. Once a standard of luxury and style, fur seems to have gone the way of the SUV and the cigarette; sure, it looks sexy to some, but being unabashedly careless is so last year.
Yet it's not unusual to see those who are disgusted by fur carrying a leather bag or wearing leather shoes. Killing an animal for its skin is wrong! Unless it's a cow—then it's just Coach. For some reason, we don't have the same qualms about leather that we do about fur. This needs to change.
Where does this arbitrary distinction between fur and leather come from? Like that hesitancy you feel when that chicken leg looks a little too much like your own, perhaps it comes from the inevitable connection between the feel of a fur coat and that of our cute, cherished pets. Indeed, much of the recent opposition to fur is fueled by the revelation that much of the fur from the unregulated, in practice if not by law, Asian fur industry comes from dogs. But reputable studies show pigs and cows are just as intelligent as cats and dogs (see here, and here). The familiar argument used against our exploitation of cows for food is just as valid against their use as clothing; if you wouldn't wear a dog, why wear a cow?
That our pets are to some extent self-aware and express emotion is familiar; we have grown up with them in our homes, as members of our families. The thought of eating or wearing them is repulsive. That our abuse of other animals is hidden behind factory walls and overseas explains our ignorance and acceptance of it, but it in no way justifies it. In the 21st century, there's simply no reason to kill an animal for its skin, be it fur or leather, when so many plant-based and synthetic alternatives exist.
Keep this in mind when shopping for clothes this season; with the growing ease of finding stylish, animal-free products, there's just no excuse.
The best selection, as with everything these days, is online:
- Zappos has an entire vegetarian section.
- MooShoes carries exclusively animal cruelty-free products, and they have a brick-and-mortar store in Manhattan.
- Stella McCartney, daughter of Sir Paul, has a great fur- and leather-free line, as well as a collaboration with Adidas.
- Local stores in the Square, including Urban Outfitters, the Tannery, Adidas, and more, all carry more than a few non-leather options.
To learn more about where fur and leather come from, check out the following sites:
