Fur in the Fashion Industry

While fashion is a booming industry with many consumers who are anxious to spend, a lot of companies work ahead to predict the upcoming trends that usually come and go seasonally. With many trends and styles that go away and reappear years later, one that has come back to the market recently is fur. As a result of fur designers and consumers are questioned on the morality of fur in the fashion world. Fur is steadily returning, so are the sales that are increasing demands on fur farms and threatening the extinction and welfare of animals.

As fur is making a strong comeback in the fashion industry, fur sales are increasing the demand of animals being farmed based sole on the purpose of their fur. While, "Fur sales have been increasing in the United States and around the world, according to the International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF), The trade organization reports that $13.4 billion in fur garments were sold in the 2005-06 season, a 5.6 percent increase over the previous season"(Peta). "The animals raised on these fur farms are...animals that are not subject to human consumption. Therefore, their sole purpose on these farms is contributing their fur to the fashion-conscious"(Wagner). Which leads to the increase of fur to eighty five percent in the fur farming industry (Peta). "This increase reflects the continued rise in popularity of fur garments amongst fashion conscious consumers"(FICA), which leads to the demand of animals used for fur farming.

Due to the demand of fur in the fashion industry, fur farming is a potential threat to the animal's welfare and survival rate. As the more and more people demand the luxury of fur due to the fast rate that the trend of fur is coming into the market, more animals are being hunted, trapped, and farmed for their fur. There are animals such as minks and foxes which are the most common bred on fur farms, but the industry also breeds and kills polecats, raccoons and chinchillas. Due to market orders "the demand for chinchilla fur has resulted in their near extinction"(Peta). With the harsh reality of fur farms animals can be "pack animals into unbearably small cages"(Peta), in sheds with harsh weather conditions and diseases and still be killed. "Unfortunately, no federal humane slaughter law protects animals on fur factory farms" (Peta). So the animals can be killed with the cruel killing methods and not be protected by the welfare for the animal's sake. As we continue to treat animals cruel and threaten their welfare and extinction, consumers continue to boost their demand of fashion fur products.

One might argue the case that fur was used by our ancestors as a form of clothing in the past, so why can't we use it now for the same purpose? As fur being used in past history, that was a later time in history where technology was not advanced and we used fur for survival purposes.