Despite a major PR push from the fur industry ahead of London Fashion Week — with top industry exec Mark Oaten commenting, “I’ll be disappointed if we don’t see fur on at least 80% of the catwalks” — research by PETA has found that in fact 86% of designers at London Fashion Week decided not to use any fur in their fall/winter 16 collections. i-D caught up with designer Hannah Weiland, whose label Shrimps is known for innovative and colorful quality faux fur, to find out why, like most London designers, she decided not to use real fur. “I decided to work with faux fur for a number of reasons: my personal taste and views, price, color and creative flexibility,” Weiland explains, adding, “I have never worn real fur, so designing with it was never an option for me.”
“I myself cannot wear real fur, as I am allergic to most of it,” she continues, noting that, “For personal reasons also I would not be interested to work with or wear real fur — I greatly value animals and am very conscious of my personal impact on their wellbeing. Nevertheless, I don’t judge others that do and I do agree that fur has been worn for centuries for both fashionable and climate reasons. However given how incredible modern technology is, you can now essentially produce faux fur with the same level of softness, quality and warmth — which makes the argument for real fur much harder”.
Indeed, cruelty-free clothing is available from many London designers, including Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Christopher Ræburn and, of course, Shrimps. PETA Director Mimi Bekhechi says, “PETA’s latest research proves that today’s fashion designers won’t stoop low enough to buy into the fur industry’s failing attempts to keep fur relevant. Modern designers simply want nothing to do with an industry that cages, electrocutes, and skins animals alive.”
Credits
Photography Mitchell Sams