Is that faux fur?

Since early civilization, animal fur has been an integral part of human life, dating back to approximately a hundred thousand years ago. Fur provided superior protection from the harsh environments our ancestors encountered.

But in more recent years, fur-based clothing and accessories have become a representation of wealth, high fashion, and social status, or even a symbol of royalty, rather than the need for warmth. Fur and high fashion have close ties, as fur clothing and accessories embody lavishness and stylishness.

However, many fashion brands have recently started moving away from using genuine animal fur due to growing ethical and environmental awareness amongst customers. For example, Moncler (BATS EU: MONC) recently announced it would ban the use of animal fur in all of its collections starting from 2024.

This trend has gained popularity and is welcomed by the general public. Other luxury clothing powerhouses are joining or have already joined this growing fur-free movement. Just to name a few: Versace (NYSE: CPRI), Michael Kors, and Gucci (BATS EU: KER). These luxury brands are looking to eliminate the use of fur in their clothes and prioritizing to make their clothing and accessories more environment friendly and sustainable. The entire fashion industry is driven to eliminate animal fur in their clothing.

But that’s not the full story. In contrast to traditional animal leather and fur, faux leather and fur do not break down as quickly. While it takes around 50 years for traditional leather and fur to biodegrade, it takes 500+ years for faux leather and fur. That won’t keep up with fashion trends.

However, luxury parka makers will continue to use goose-down in winter items. It remains to be seen if this practice will cease to exist when an equally luxurious and functional material is created to replace the natural down feathers. The complete transformation to a 100% animal-free fashion industry is still ongoing. Whether it will be a 100% good thing for the environment – that is another debate.