Ain't Gonna Study Fur No More: The "Cool vs. Cruel" Design Contest |
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November 1, 2005
The HSUS's Fur-Free Campaign is reaching out to the next generation of fashion designers with a contest that will inspire them to use alternatives to animal fur. The campaign is partnering with The Art Institutes, a network of colleges for the creative and applied arts, to hold a fashion design contest dubbed "Cool vs. Cruel."
Today's design students are tomorrow's professional designers, and while in school they will form values that can
inform their work throughout their careers. These students, once they become pros, will be able to promote animal-friendly fashions instead of fur and fur trim, which cause
horrible animal suffering. As more designers use alternatives to fur, the compassionate message will spread into the media, retail, and consumer sectors of the fashion industry.
In the Cool vs. Cruel contest, students will select one of four designs that use animal fur (shown below) and create an animal-friendly version using synthetics and/or vegetable-based resources. The Fur-Free Campaign will announce the contest winners at a celebration December 19 in New York City. Award-winning students will gain valuable exposure for their talents, and will help illustrate how unnecessary it is to use fur and fur trim in fashion design.
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| From cruel to cool: Four designs that use fur will be the starting point for a contest to create cruelty-free versions. |
Celebrity judges will include designer Marc Bouwer, the design house Gaelyn & Cianfarani, commentator Mickey Boardman of Paper magazine, and actress Elizabeth Berkley. The grand prize winner will receive an expense-paid internship with both Marc Bouwer and Gaelyn & Cianfarani in New York City.
For information on how your school can participate in the Cool vs. Cruel contest, contact furfree@hsus.org. To become part of the "compassion in fashion" trend, sign our Fur-Free Pledge.
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Fur Shame
Related Links
Fashion Week 2005
