In a trend that has provoked the ire of animal rights campaigners, a clutch of respected designers used fur hoods, collars and coats in their winter collections for 2014.
Flamboyant furs and feathers were also a recurring feature on the backs of carefully-dressed fashionistas attending the shows.
Designs by Ralph Rucci, Katya Zol and Diane Von Furstenberg
However, not everyone is embracing the move back towards real fur, which became almost taboo in the 90s when some activists began throwing buckets of red paint on models who wore it.
The Australian arm of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) raised concerns about cruel methods of skinning animals in China, which is the world’s biggest exporter of fur.
Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian was photographed in a full body fake fur coat emblazoned with the words “F**k you fur” sprayed over the back in red paint.
And young British designer Hannah Weiland who produces high quality faux fur under her label Shrimps is enjoying a boom in the lead up to London Fashion Week. Fans include actress Helena Bonham Carter and model Laura Bailey.
Fake fur designs by Shrimps
Claire Miller, of PETA Australia, told aww.com.au fur had become widely socially unacceptable in real life, away from the runways.
“Eighty-five percent of the fur industry’s skins come from animals living captive in fur factory farms,” she says. “These farms can hold thousands of animals, who are crammed into barren, wire cages for their entire lives, often driven insane by their confinement.”
“We encourage the public to refuse to support the cruel industry and wear faux fur which is a much more compassionate option.”
