Don't believe the hype: fur is not “back”
Despite the fur industry doing its best to bring pelts back onto runways, the truth behind the trend is that fur is still dead.
After shunning animal fur for years, it appears international fashion media has now changed its mind. For a couple of seasons now, fashion writers have been shouting it from the rooftops: “fur is back!” On the heels of the “mob wife” TikTok trend, which saw fashionistas channel The Sopranos chic, complete with leopard print, big hair and – you guessed it – giant fur coats, mainstream fashion journalism has been heralding the return of fur. From VOGUE asking whether wearing fur is “still a faux pas” to the Guardian proclaiming that “Gone is the social stigma around wearing animal skins”, the journalistic consensus seems to be clear: just like a certain orange-hued president, fur has also made its triumphant return into the sphere of relevance.
But what is the actual evidence behind all of this? What is prompting fashion press to announce the return of fur? A year ago, the answer appeared to lie in the aforementioned “mob wife” style, as made popular by TikTok creators Sarah Arcuri and Kayla Trivieri. After years of “clean girl” and “quiet luxury”, opulent maximalism was back. However, if the “mob wife” trend ever had a penchant for fur made from animals, that never caught on: despite Dolce & Gabbana's entire FW25 show being based around this aesthetic, all the furs used in the collection were in fact faux. A move that might be popular with actor Edie Falco, who so brilliantly portrayed the original mob wife Carmela Soprano.
“The Sopranos had nothing on the violence of the fur industry, which gasses, electrocutes and peels the skin off animals while they’re still alive. No matter if it’s new or vintage, torture doesn’t belong in our closets. So, if you’re after the trending Carmela Soprano-inspired ‘mob wife’ aesthetic, I suggest grabbing one of the many faux furs out there and leaving animals out of it.”
But even as the mob-wife aesthetic joins other TikTok trends in fading into “so last season” territory, fashion media continues to insist that fur is back. The idea of a fur resurgence also comes, in part, from the fact that vintage fashion is having a moment – and secondhand furs are part of that. According to Pinterest's trend report Pinterest Predicts, the platform is seeing a 260% rise in searches for “vintage maximalism”, and fur definitely falls under that umbrella. Gen Z's sensitivity towards environmental issues and rejection of overconsumption also carries with it a predilection for pre-loved clothing and perhaps a revisit of their grandmothers' wardrobes, which may include fur.
However, none of this means that the fur industry, as in the production of new furs, is enjoying an upswing. In fact, demand and production are both in decline. Both Europe and China, the world's largest fur producer, are seeing falling numbers. “Fashion trends come and go, but animal fur has been laid to rest forever,” says PETA's Vice President of Programmes & Operations Elisa Allen. And she has a point: major fashion houses remain fur-free. After Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri proclaimed fur “not modern” in 2017, a domino effect followed: Chanel, Versace, Saint Laurent, Valentino, the entire house of Kering and practically everyone else in fashion quickly announced fur bans. None of these brands have brought animal fur back into their collections. Copenhagen Fashion Week, formerly a huge proponent of fur and collaborator with the now-closed fur auction house Kopenhagen Furs, introduced a ban on the material in 2022. After showing fur-free catwalks for years, London Fashion Week made their policy official in 2024. Department stores such as Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Liberty, Selfridges and more are all free from fur, as are iconic retailers like NET-A-PORTER. When it comes to the international fashion industry, fur is more old news than ever.
In fact, if we look closer at the articles, it is clear that what is reappearing on runways is the look of fur – not the actual material. Dig a little deeper, and you'll find that most of the stories announcing the “return of fur” actually specify that most of the fur on the runways is indeed faux. From faux fur patches at Simone Rocha and fuzzy fabrics at Chloè to luxe animal-free coats and dusters at Miu Miu and Balenciaga, it's all fake. Sure, brands whose heritage is rooted in fur-making, like Fendi, do still show animal furs. But they can nearly be counted on one hand, and even those brands are also expressing interest in planet-friendly bio-based plant furs.
And they are not wrong to be. Animal-free furs have made such huge strides forward that the fur industry is correctly shaking in its boots. After disseminating the narrative that “vegan fur is plastic”, the industry was swiftly put in its place by planet-friendly, plant-based material innovation. French faux-fur artisans Ecopel are at the forefront of the bio-based fur revolution: their first foray into plant furs was corn-derived fur KOBA – which represented a 63% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions and a 30% reduction in energy use compared to traditionally made faux furs. Stella McCartney quickly jumped on the bandwagon, creating sophisticated full-length coats with KOBA. “Even though the plastic issue should not be used to ignore animal suffering linked to the fashion industry, I believe in the field of faux fur, Ecopel is the first company to have understood the need to reduce or stop the use of synthetics,” says Communications and Sustainability Manager Arnaud Brunois. The company has now launched Flur, a fully plant-based, chemical-free faux fur. Biodegradable and dyed with natural substances, this material is made with a vegetable oil polymer instead of synthetics – and it effortlessly mimics the look of shearling and mohair. Vegan fur is ditching its “plastic” image and moving in a new direction of eco-conscious innovation. And brands couldn't love it more.
Ecopel are not the only innovators in this area. Material innovation company BioFluff has launched a fully plant-derived fur crafted from nettle, hemp and flax fibres. This shaggy, fluffy material has already been used in an iteration of Danish brand Ganni's much-coveted Bou bag. A long-time champion of sustainability, Ganni refuses to work with animal furs – which puts it in great company. After all, most leading designers of the world would, well, rather go naked.
Right now, our collective fight for animals is more urgent than ever. Until every animal is safe from factory farms, laboratories, and hunters, we will continue to work towards a kinder world. Inspired to take action? A great place to learn about the issues and add your name in support is Species Unite’s Petitions for Animals page.
Written by Sascha Camilli
Sascha Camill is a writer, speaker and vegan fashion expert. She founded the world's first digital vegan fashion magazine Vilda, and is the author of Vegan Style: Your Plant-Based Guide to Beauty, Fashion, Home & Travel. Her podcast, Catwalk Rebel, is out now.
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