CHEERS
JEERS
PRADA BECOMES THE LATEST DESIGNER TO FLIP OFF FUR
FOA TO HUNTER: GO PHER*&^ YOURSELF
Cheers to Miuccia Prada who announced in May that she will no longer use animal fur in her designs or new products, starting with her next runway show in September. “Focusing on innovative materials will allow the company to explore new boundaries of creative design while meeting the demand for ethical products,” Prada told Bloomberg. This uplifting news comes on the heels of a public hearing for the historic Intro 1476, legislation that was introduced in March by New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson that would ban fur sales in the city. FoA has been pushing for the introduction of such legislation since the spring of 2018. Prada has already experimented with fur alternatives like the plush fabrics from German teddy bear-maker Steiff in recent seasons. Speaking of alternatives, NYC is becoming a hot spot for faux fur. Luxury faux fur houses House of Fluff, Pelush NY and Maison Atia are making looks that don’t kill and are experiencing tremendous success. “Today we can accurately imitate any kind of animal fur existing in nature, and even invent new ones,” Anna Tagliablue, founder of Pelush said in testimony at the hearing. “Killing animals for fashion’s sake is wrong. There is no gray area. “I have devoted 20 years of my life developing the antidote to this cruelty. Before that I worked in the highend luxury fashion industry selling furs, until I had a life changing epiphany, and realized that my industry was really a killing machine profiting from a barbaric and antiquated trade in cruelty.”
While the press seems to be smitten with an 88-yearold South Dakota man who claims to have destroyed thousands of gophers, we are jeering his supposed trapping record as an atrocity. Clayton Sanders’ claim of being a prolific hunter, snaring 22,000 gophers, and earning money from it for the front paws he hands over to landowners, should bring no rewards and certainly no kudos. Though Sanders supposed record drew headlines across the country, what the media didn’t spotlight is that gopher populations are dwindling. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has listed the gopher population as of “concern.” It’s also listed the Michoacan Pocket Gopher as endangered and the Desert Pocket Gopher as threatened. Gophers live almost their entire lives underground, popping out of their burrows just for vegetarian meals. They store food inside their cheeks in fur-lined pockets. Their tunnels are used for nesting of their baby “pups” and food storage. So, while Sanders is winning accolades for smoking gopher families out of their homes and killing them, we are aghast at his contribution to their demise.
TWO THUMBS UP FOR ROCKETMAN
We have a cheer for costume designer Julian Day, who instead of using real fur for the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” chose faux fur designs by NYC-based House of Fluff. While the singer’s 70’s stage costumes often included sequin embellished jumpsuits, mink coats and zany sunglasses, the movie costumes are not animal fur. Day recognizes that these days there is absolutely no need to kill animals for a look of luxury. Innovation is the new luxury. For example, House of Fluff uses recycled polyester fiber to make its coats. Products are lined in natural fabrics like cotton jersey and combined with French terry cloth so they feel as soft and comfy on the inside as they do on the outside. All scraps are upcycled into dog coats, as well as little plush collectibles called “scrappies.” Scrappies’ playful faces are also put on scarves and hoodies. (see full story page 16 ).
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