Fur trends: rabbits, minks and chinchillas, oh my!

By Eleanor Haycock
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer

With suede tops and sheep's skin inside, sizes offered in low, medium and tall, and colors in sand, neutral, black, light blue and baby pink, Ugg boots took over last winter in all shapes and sizes. Whether worn tucked neatly into pants or perfectly paired with a short, pleated skirt, it seemed that every girl was wearing a pair of the cold weather boots.

Ugg, an Australian boot company caused a phenomenon in fashion using sheepskin last winter and started a new beginning for fur trends that is continuing into this winter.

This year, the fur trend is not sheepskin, but rather rabbit, mink and fox fur.

Vogue could not have described the new trend any better in its September issue saying, "Women everywhere are embarking on a love affair with fur. With bold and modern styles found in the season's hottest collections."

To wear fur or not to wear fur, that is the great debate in many women's minds this season. Fur coats, hats, shrugs, as well as fur trimmings on coats, hoods, dresses, gloves, and boots are filling up stores this season, but is it worth killing an animal in the name of fashion?

"I hate it! I have to touch it everyday and it is gross," said Courtney Twomey, an employee at American Rag clothing store in Los Angeles. "We sell so many vintage fur coats and cape things and I don't know why."

The fast growing trend is being seen in stores everywhere. Most jackets in mall stores are either rabbit fur or faux fur. A new real fur coat cost about $500 and up while faux and rabbit fur jackets start around $50.

For women who decide they want real mink, fox or chinchilla, vintage stores are the way to go. Used real fur coats are sold starting at $75, while shrugs can be found at $30.

"I would probably wear it if I liked it, as long as it wasn't fur from an animal that was going extinct or something," said Sarah Hale, Cal State Long Beach communications student.

According to the National Fur Trade Association, cheetahs and leopards are both going extinct because of fur trade. In the 1960s these furs become extremely popular and caused a huge decline in the species. Today it is illegal to hunt or sell cheetahs, leopards or any other animal's fur that is in danger of going extinct.

The animal rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), describes fur farms as row after row of animals in cages stacked upon one another, living in horrible conditions, until they are killed by genital electrocution or neck snapping. PETA has several campaigns against the fur industry as well as the meat and dairy industries, with celebrity spokespeople like Anna Nicole Smith, Charlize Theron, Pamela Anderson and Alicia Silverstone. Top designer Stella McCarthy is also known as a PETA supporter, and never uses animal products for the production of her clothing.

The Fur Commission USA, another organization deeply involved with the conditions of fur farms, represent 420 mink farming families in the United States, to help ensure superior standards of animal farming. Their standard guidelines for the operation of mink farms in the United States include attention to nutritional needs, prompt veterinary care, clean and safe housing, elimination of outside stress, and humane euthanasia. On the farms they represent, the animals are immediately rendered unconscious, and die quickly and humanely from bottled gas, either pure carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide, which they strictly follow from recommendations of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Instead of trying to research where their fur comes from, many women limit themselves by buying only a few types of fur. According to Cal State Long Beach fashion merchandising student Megan King, "Rabbit fur is OK considering that rabbits are definitely nowhere near extinct. Raising purely to skin them later is not right but then again, they also have like 12 babies each time they conceive, so I don't feel like they are in danger at all. Also to raise cows for the purpose of beef, I feel that it would be OK for a fur producer to use the skin of that animal so it would eliminate the waste of the rest of the animal. Basically what I mean by that is, if one can get multiple uses out of an animal as opposed to just one use, then it should be acceptable."

Although the primary product of mink is the fur, the second most important product is an oil produced from the mink's thick layer of subcutaneous fat. The oil is used to condition and preserve leather, and also in the manufacturing of hypoallergenic facial oils and cosmetics. The carcasses of the minks are even used. Many farmers sell them as crab bait, or give them to wildlife preserves, zoos or aquariums. Others will use them to make organic compost or raw materials for things such as tires, pet food and paint.

Fur dates back to the early Middle Ages when people wore fur to stay warm. Fur lined most garments and was worn by everyone; it was also used to make bedspreads and curtains. Later in the 14th to 16th centuries, fur became a symbol of wealth and power. Laws were written to determine who was allowed to wear fur. Later it became important for military purposes and the type of fur a solider wore, displayed their rank in the military. In the 19th century, the fur coat was introduced and became the most cherished item in many women's Victorian wardrobes. The fur coat trend carried on into the 1930s and 1940s, and became the signature look of glamorous movie stars.

For spring 2005, animal themes are sticking around. Prints and skins are staying popular, as well as more shrugs, but this time instead of being made from fur they will be made from brightly colored feathers.