Fur and Fury on Fashion’s Front line

there’s always a hubbub outside a show. Yet at London Fashion Week, the good-natured buzz of street style photographers papping editors and celebrities arriving was replaced with something louder and far more aggressive.

This season, anti-fur protestors – organised by activist group Surge – targeted the Burberry, Versus and Gareth Pugh shows. Demonstrators covered in fake blood, bearing placards that showed dead animals, were held back by security. Chanting: ‘Shame on you!’ at the attendees, the mood was intimidating; blogger Susie Bubble reported being spat at. The protestors, who also staged a three-day demonstration outside the British Fashion Council’s HQ at 180 The Strand, were campaigning to get the BFC to ban fur on the London catwalks.

So, do we still need to rally against fur? Is it really a big thing any more? In a statement, the BFC clarified its position: ‘The British Fashion Council does not dictate what designers can or cannot design and has no control over their creative process. We encourage designers to ensure that if they choose to work with fur, they work with reputable organisations that supply ethically sourced fur.’

According to PETA (who many erroneously assumed was behind the demos), however, there is no such thing. ‘Fur farming was banned in the UK nearly 20 years ago – and the BFC, which leads the fashion industry, must catch up. PETA will be pushing to sit down with council members to explain that investigation after investigation has shown the same thing: that there’s no ethical way to obtain fur,’ says Yvonne Taylor, PETA’S director of corporate projects. ‘Animals on fur farms spend their short lives inside tiny cages, denied the opportunity to roam, play and do anything else that comes naturally – and they’re always killed in violent ways.’

But are people in the UK even using fur any more? The shows targeted by Surge didn’t feature any at all. And the irony of shouting ‘Shame!’ at show attendees was that many have already turned their back on the fur industry. Retail giants such as Selfridges and Net-a-porter are fur-free, as are megabrands including Giorgio Armani, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren; at Grazia we’re proud to have a fur-free policy, as do many other British fashion magazines. A PETA poll of every designer who showed at London found 86% didn’t use fur in their A/W ’16 collections. Still, that means 14% did – so there’s clearly an argument to be made.

A BFC ban would surely have a trickledown effect. In a letter sent to Caroline Rush, CEO of the BFC, PETA urged, ‘The BFC has a tremendous opportunity to help foster a fur-free future. We urge you to make a powerful ethical statement by becoming a part of the growing movement towards compassion in fashion.’

Certainly, the alternatives are now so compelling, why not go faux? ‘With so many eco-friendly and beautiful vegan fabrics, there really is no excuse for using, wearing or promoting the real thing. Most people – whether on the front row or standing on the streets – agree fur has no place on our catwalks,’ says PETA’S Taylor.

The younger generation are on-board – like Hannah Weiland of cool faux-fur brand Shrimps. ‘I have never used real fur for personal reasons. That said, I think everyone should have the freedom of choice,’ she says. ‘However, the luxurious quality of modern faux fur makes any argument for real fur much harder.’ Weiland isn’t the only young name making a stand – last year, she joined Molly Goddard and Faustine Steinmetz in sending a letter to Central Saint Martins students urging them not to use it.

There’s no doubt the protests put fur back at the top of the fashion agenda – people were talking about it all week. The real shame is that aggressive protest can do more harm than good, turning people off discussing the issue at all.