Two Designers on What You Should Know About Real and Faux Fur

Here’s a Monday afternoon game for you: Flip through any Fall ’16 collection on the Vogue Runway app and count how many fur (real or faux) coats you land on. That number is bound to be pretty high. Fur was everywhere for Fall—from Gucci’s Pepto-pink fox chubby to Dries Van Noten’s faux leopard capes, the list goes on and on. At first, the trend seems like an equal-opportunity win: Those eager to invest in a rabbit jacket will find dozens of luxe options come August, while girls who prefer animal-friendly outerwear can take their pick from chic faux versions.

We don’t have to remind you that fur is this industry’s most divisive subject. Last July, Fendi’s first “haute fourrure” show was met with heated protests, and Giorgio Armani recently took a stand against animal cruelty by vowing not to use fur in any future collections. But what do we really know about fur? Or faux fur, for that matter? PETA has been endorsing faux fur for decades, but did you know that faux fur is often made of non-biodegradable, chemical-based synthetics like nylon and polyester? If your coat doesn’t eventually become vintage, it could end up sitting in a landfill. And while you’ve no doubt seen anti-fur videos on your Instagram feed this month, there are sustainable, ethical ways to do real fur, too. Consider Brother Vellies’s Aurora James, who sources springbok and rabbit fur from African farmers who (safely) breed the animals for the food industry, and uses kudu leather as a result of government-mandated population control of the species. That won’t change anything if you’re vegan, but if you’re willing to wear fur and leather as long as it has been responsibly made, it’s an option.

We spoke to two designers who have built their businesses on faux and real fur, respectively, so you can make informed decisions this fall. Below, Hannah Weiland, founder of faux fur label Shrimps, and Thomas Salomon, general manager of the Paris fur company Yves Salomon, share their points of view.

It seems that no street style slideshow is complete without a few Shrimps coats. Hannah Weiland launched the label in 2013 with one blue-and-cream-striped faux fur jacket, and her eye-catching outerwear quickly became a favorite of fashion editors and It girls like Alexa Chung. Now her collection includes everything from patchwork faux shearlings to floral-printed faux fur coats and even faux fur accessories. “The faux fur made the business, in a way,” Weiland says. She stumbled upon the super-fluffy, silky-soft material at a fabric fair and designed the blue coat almost as an experiment—she hadn’t even completed her degree at the London College of Fashion. “I just knew I had to make it happen. I couldn’t wait! I was like, ‘I’ve finally found a good-quality faux fur.’ I hadn’t seen any good faux fur coats out there for a while, and it had such a bad reputation in the ’90s,” she explains. Back then, faux fur was typically made of cheap polyester, but Weiland’s is a plush, real-feeling modacrylic blend. It’s her secret sauce—literally. Since so many brands (both designer and high street) are trying to copy Shrimps, she won’t disclose where she found the fabric or how it’s made.

Shrimps has a lot going for it: The coats are offbeat and cool, but they’re also remarkably affordable, super-warm, and (obviously) animal-friendly. “I’ve never worn real fur and never wanted to work with it,” says Weiland. “Growing up, I had tons of guinea pigs and rabbits, so my idea was always based around faux fur. I love taking pride and joy in what I do—I have a guilt-free conscience. I don’t see why you’d wear real fur when faux fur is as good as it is now—it’s just as soft and warm, it holds color even better, and it doesn’t get dusty.” Weiland isn’t one to shame others for wearing real fur, though. “I don’t preach against fur,” she says. “My brand really just started through a love of animals.”

Thomas Salomon, general manager of Yves Salomon (and Yves’s son), recently took the house in a more fashion-forward direction, and he’s nearly doubled the company’s sales as a result. You’ve likely seen Yves Salomon’s “army fur” parka on celebrities like Bella Hadid and New Yorkers on the subway; it’s made of durable twill or denim on the outside and lined with super-plush fur on the inside. Priced around $1,700, the coat is an investment, but it’s one that millennials and brand-new customers can justify. Other mink and rabbit coats in the collection might ring up closer to $10,000.

As a fur-only company, lofty prices aren’t Yves Salomon’s only hurdle. But what makes the 96-year-old family-run business different from other furriers is that it owns every step of the production process, from sourcing the pelts and producing the coats in-house to wholesaling and retailing. “We call it the 360 scheme,” Salomon says. “We feel that the future [of the company] is to integrate.” He didn’t hesitate to explain exactly where the materials come from, and he aimed to dispel several misconceptions about the fur industry in the process. “Furriers all buy furs at the same fur auctions,” he says. “There’s Saga Furs in Finland, then you have Kopenhagen Fur, and NAFA, the North American Fur Auctions . . . . When you go and buy furs at those auctions, you get a certificate that says which farm the animal is coming from, and all of the farms are legally controlled by the European or American governments. After the [anti-fur] attacks in the past, the fur industry really organized and became much more transparent. It’s our responsibility to know where the fur is coming from and that the animals are well treated at the farms we use.” In Saga’s latest Corporate Responsibility Report, for instance, there are pages dedicated to animal welfare, sustainability, and the occupational health of fur employees; you can read it here.

“Animal welfare is the most important thing today, and I don’t think people know how much the industry has progressed on the matter,” Salomon adds. “We are very, very careful.” He is confused by the promotion of faux fur and the common belief that it is completely safe for the planet. “We’re using a natural material that eventually biodegrades, but there’s nothing natural about fake fur—it’s all chemicals and it doesn’t biodegrade,” he says. “I understand if you don’t eat meat and you don’t want to wear fur, but some people are eating meat and then saying fur is terrible. I’m not going to say you shouldn’t wear fake fur if that’s what you prefer, though. It’s a personal choice. Everyone should have the freedom to make his or her own decision.”