Some interesting news this week. On Tuesday morning, the city council of West Hollywood voted unanimously to ban the sale of fur. This is the first city in the United States to implement such a ban. Apparently, it will go into effect in June 2012 after the city council meets a second time to hammer out the details (such as an exact “effective date, penalties for violating the ban and whether to provide exemptions for vintage clothing.”) West Hollywood has a history of trail-blazing animal welfare legislation: “In 2003, it became the first U.S. city to ban declawing cats. West Hollywood has also banned the sale of dogs and cats within city limits, as well as the testing of cosmetics on animals.” (Source: ABC News).
Fur has received a great deal of attention over the past several decades as a notoriously unethical product in the fashion industry (largely due to PETA’s campaigning). Intense anti-fur campaigns through the 80s and 90s had pressured many designers into omitting fur from the their clothing lines. But then, gradually, fur has crept back in and simultaneously has become more affordable. If you’ve seen the documentary The September Issue about Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, you probably heard the part of the film where Wintour is attributed with single-handedly bringing fur back in (even to summer looks).
The boom in fur has meant a driving-down in the cost of fur for consumers, a fact which means that even consumers who think they are getting fake fur (for instance, in the trim on the hood of a winter coat) are actually buying real fur. The attempt to move fur from the luxury category to everyday fashion puts further pressure on those producers who kill both captive and wild animals for their skins. There is some great information on fur in the documentary, The Witness, which you can watch online. This film is great, even if you’re not interested in learning more about fur; it follows one man’s journey to connecting with animals and becoming an advocate for them.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gv0y1qYx1w]
One question is what to do with the fur apparel that’s out there. The Humane Society of the United States has a program called “Coats for Cubs” where you can donate any fur you have, or may have inherited from relatives. The fur is given to wildlife rehabilitators and used to comfort orphaned and injured animals.
The news that LA is banning fur is a step in the right direction and, in the oftentimes overwhelming world of animal advocacy, one that should be celebrated. But it also makes me think about leather. Whereas fur has received much public scrutiny over the years, the ethics of leather has received comparatively little public attention. Still the skin of an animal, leather remains incredibly pervasive throughout our culture.
One dilemma I have faced is in my closet. While I have never owned an article of clothing that uses real fur, I have a number of pairs of leather shoes from my pre-awareness of animals days. On one side, wearing them until they wear out at least makes use of them. On the other side, wearing them perpetuates the idea out in the world that it’s OK to kill animals for fashion. What do you all think? How do you reconcile these kinds of issues?
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OMG, I was totally just thinking about this today on my way to work and I wondered to myself, what does Katie do? Seriously, this is kind of freaking me out that you posted this today.
For me, I have not bought any shoes, purses, or clothing that uses any animal products since I went vegan 5 months ago. Also, I have stopped carrying any of my leather purses since my DH pointed out that it is a conflict of interest for me. I still wear the leather and suede shoes that I had before going vegan because I do think it makes sense to use it until they are worn out. I resolve my conflict of interest by knowing that it is environmentally friendlier to use it up then to throw it out. It’s also friendlier on my pocket book.
The issue that I struggle with daily is that I work in a very trendy area of Seattle and work in a building that marketing folks work in and they are always dressed so fashionably, I get a complex. So I feel silly sometimes carrying my canvas bag and wearing my vegan clogs. There are also dress-code standards at my work place and I find it difficult to find items that are work appropriate and animal-compassionate.
That’s funny that we were on the same page yesterday in our thinking! I tend to be of the same opinion; I’ve been wearing out my leather shoes from before. I have not bought any new non-vegan items, and will not in the future. Gradually, my wardrobe is becoming more and more vegan as leather, wool, and silk items wear out. There are tons of great new vegan styles out there, but definitely with some of them I question the labor practices involved to produce them. Being an ethical vegan, I think, means recognizing the intersections of animal and human oppression, and I try to avoid things that may have been produced in sweatshops. That being said, honestly, I buy probably 95% of my clothes at goodwill. I will do a post on vegan shoes/clothes soon to respond to your comment more fully. Stay tuned… And thanks for commenting!!
That’s funny that we were on the same page yesterday in our thinking! I tend to be of the same opinion; I’ve been wearing out my leather shoes from before. I have not bought any new non-vegan items, and will not in the future. Gradually, my wardrobe is becoming more and more vegan as leather, wool, and silk items wear out. There are tons of great new vegan styles out there, but definitely with some of them I question the labor practices involved to produce them. Being an ethical vegan, I think, means recognizing the intersections of animal and human oppression, and I try to avoid things that may have been produced in sweatshops. That being said, honestly, I buy probably 95% of my clothes at goodwill. I will do a post on vegan shoes/clothes soon to respond to your comment more fully. Stay tuned… And thanks for commenting!!