The Seahawk

Issue date: 1/18/07 Section: Lifestyles

While the "fur look" is prevalent in the fashion industry, PETA urges if people must wear fur, they should make sure it is faux.

The holidays are now long gone, and the dead of winter has set in. And, baby, it's cold outside - well, not really, although many haute-couture designers think so, at least with the fur explosion in the fashion industry. But is fur making a comeback, or is it potentially a fashion faux-pas?

Over the years, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has been very active in denouncing the use of fur, going so far as to challenge fur wearers.

Furisdead.com, a Web site sponsored by PETA, said, "Our message this winter is this: 'Fur-wearers beware!'"

"After 9/11, PETA temporarily suspended its confrontational anti-fur tactics out of consideration for an already shell-shocked public. But now the gloves are off…" said Furisdead.com.

And while the "fur look" is prevalent in the fashion industry, PETA urges if people must wear fur, they should make sure it is faux, according to Furisdead.com.

Some designers are capturing the fur look in alternative ways.

Rob Younkers, a fashion designer and graduate of Parsons, has "innovative, animal-friendly creations [that] include flagrantly faux 'anti-furs' made of torn nylon and denim," said Furisdead.com.

However, some still support the use of natural fur.

"Recent findings in a study by the Bekleidungsphysiologische Institut Hohenstein e.V. [Hohenstein Institute for Clothing Physiology] confirmed what we already knew-- that in the battle between natural and man-made fabrics to keep us warm, natural fur is the best," said the International Fur Trade Federation in a press-release dated Nov. 14, 2006.

"Natural fur is softer, warmer and more wearable than any faux fur," the IFTF press release said.

The IFTF press release continued, "Its production is governed by high international welfare standards for animal husbandry that meet or even exceed legislation."

The bottom line: Just stay warm this winter, and do it in style - with or without fur is up to you to decide.

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