F is for February, Fur and Fashion so let’s start this month’s roundup with some fur fashion news. We loved this article about why Russian women love fur, and while there is certainly an element of glamour attached to fur coats, the message is overwhelmingly about warmth, something a fake fur will never be able to provide.
As well as being winter, it is also runway show season, and where there are fashion shows, there are furs. If you want a fashion update but aren’t looking to buy new, check out our guide on recycling old fur coats, or if you want an option that is super low impact (pardon the pun) then why not look into roadkill furs? Our fur coat of the month was definitely this teen’s seal skin parka. It looks great and we love the story behind it.
On the subject of seals, one of Canada’s most outspoken seal hunt activists, throat singer Tanya Tagaq, was temporarily banned from Facebook over a seal skin photo. She was quickly reinstated and an apology followed, so this would hardly be called a win for the animal rights activists. Speaking of losers, we love this Super Bowl ad about the Humane Society of the United States (above), and the fact that the noise levels of anti-fur protests are now being monitored. Wait? Don’t you want screaming lunatics shouting at you on your way home? No, and it seems that animal rights activists ARE getting more aggressive. Here’s why.
In other animal rights news, activists are trying to get London Fashion Week to ban fur (unlikely to happen), the video depicting “abuse” on the set of A Dog’s Purpose was proven to have been misleading, and we’ve found this great website exposing Trip Advisor, the travel reviews website, for working with PETA. They are refusing to let people book holiday activities that involve animals. Well, I guess we can all go to another website to plan our holidays, right?
It’s a good thing that coyote fur fashion trims have become so popular on parkas and coyote fur sales are rising, as we need a reason to keep trapping them. Coyotes in California (above) have gotten so brazen they are attacking giant dogs, on leashes! There were two legal victories for trappers last month: a judge dismissed a lawsuit over incidental lynx trapping, and Republicans in the US backed off their plan to sell 3.3 million acres of public land.
Some other things we learnt in February:
Ultra orthodox Jews are an unexpected ally for pro-fur advocates.
This is model behaviour for hunters who are being harassed by anti-hunters.
You can get clothing made from knit dog fur.
Bison are back in Banff, and we hope they stay.
Stay warm out there, friends!
