TO FUR OR FAUX

Is there an eco option?

When Donatella Versace and Gucci’s Alessandro Michele declare a trend needs to end, the fashion world drops the offending item faster than it takes a runway model to change backstage.

“Fur? I’m out of that,” Versace told The Economist’s 1843 magazine this year. “I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion. It doesn’t feel right.”

“It’s like when you have to stop to smoke,” Michele told the Business of Fashion website, when announcing Gucci’s fur-free initiative. “You know that it is something that is not good for you, but you love it.”

The creative director’s analogy is fitting, given fur and cigarettes are problematic status symbols of a bygone era — here’s to you, Mrs Robinson. But while some designers are trying to clean up their image for 2018’s conscious consumer, others such as Karl Lagerfeld are concerned for an industry with a high level of craftsmanship and employment. “As long as [people] use leather and eat meat, I don’t see that [fur is] a problem,” he says.

Wherever a fur garment goes, controversy trails behind. But what if New Zealand fashion finds an ethical way with the troublesome textile? One solution is Jane Avery’s wild rabbit eco-fur brand, Lapin, based in Dunedin. Working with a tanner and rabbiters in Otago, her fur is a by-product of necessary pest control. The high-country hide is processed by a local furrier and turned into luxurious bomber jackets, statement coats and accessories. You could say it’s fur for the woke woman.

“I’m very surprised rabbit is not being used more,” says Avery. “In this day and age, where there are questions about the environment and the ethics around keeping animals in cages specifically for their fur, I think New Zealand has an opportunity to put this out there.” European rabbits were introduced to New Zealand in the 19th century for food, sport and pelts, and their population has reached plague proportions several times since. While they may look cute, according to the Department of Conservation, wild rabbits feast on native plants, carry nasty diseases and attract other pests such as stoats, which prey on native species. In just one night on a country station, a rabbiter

could shoot more than 100 rabbits; they use rifles as it’s considered more direct and humane than poisons or traps.

“I’m an animal lover at heart,” says Avery. “But by the same token, I think I’m emotionally mature enough to see the practical and realistic side that we can’t let these animals just stay and overrun. It’s not wise land management.”

Many designers are turning to fanciful faux fur as an alternative.

But being synthetic, this nonrenewable resource can take hundreds of years to biodegrade in a landfill. Add to that the fact that it’s often a very trend-driven and affordable impulse item, and over time we risk doing more harm than good.

When it comes to sound purchases, there’s no better solution than buying from New Zealand brands that create clothes to last a lifetime. Kate Sylvester, for example, uses faux fur for both coats and feature accents. “It’s a luxurious material and I can work with a wide colour palette to create interesting combinations.”

She says it’s unlikely she’d use eco rabbit fur, simply because she doesn’t get any requests for a real-fur alternative. Regarding sustainability, she adds, “There’s constant evolution in the fabric technology arena and a real focus on sustainable fabrics. We’re always on the lookout for more sustainable alternatives.”

“I don’t think anything is perfect, and there’ll always be something wrong with most options, right?” muses Marc Moore of Stolen Girlfriends Club. “It’s much better for the environment if we can design something timeless, that’s great quality and transcends trends.”

The brand’s shearling Amplifier jacket is made to be passed down through the generations, like your grandma’s fox fur but with a resourceful edge. “I guess people could view shearling as fur, but the difference for us is that shearling wool is a by-product of meat production. We’re making use of a by-product from another industry that would otherwise be wasted.”

Of course, the buck doesn’t stop with fashion. Globally, concern about the environmental impact of farming is ever-increasing. International innovation labs, such as Modern Meadow, are developing technologies that can serve a steak from a petri dish to your plate and are looking into growing leather without the need to harm animals as well. Perhaps one day, if farming is ever thwarted and pest populations are kept in check, we’ll have the option of techno fur too.

Just how organic will it be?