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Overheard: Fashion Industry Saying No to Fur

September 18, 2006

Runway model Stephan Olivier and Troy Cooper sport the
fur-free message before the show. (HSUS/Grzybowski)

By Loren Drummond

With many alternatives to fur available, it becomes ever easier for designers and consumers to make the shift to a more compassionate fashion scene. "Project Runway" finalist Daniel Vosevic said he "loved" Jay McCarroll's fur-free show and described the designer as a "trendsetter." McCarroll, along with other up-and-coming designers and socially-conscious companies, is leading the way as the fashion industry evolves and rejects the use of fur.

"I've used fur in past collections," said "Project Runway" alum Malan Breton. "I've kind of decided that from this point, I'm moving away from fur. There are so many beautiful synthetics."

"There are so many really great alternatives, there is no reason to use fur," said Jessica Barlow, who works with designers worldwide representing AVEDA under the tents. "This was a really important partnership for us, because we are about socially-conscious fashion, and about being fur-free. We are really trying to influence the industry."

Famed model Ajuma signed the fur-free pledge backstage, and Stephan Olivier, a model in the show, donned the HSUS "Compassion Is My Fashion" T-shirt while backstage before the show. A former veterinary assistant and humane wildlife rescuer, Olivier said, "I've been with animals since I was a kid. I'm not going to wear fur."

Alison Kelly, a designer and "Project Runway" favorite raved about McCarroll's show at the after party ("I found it so refreshing") and talked about her own commitment to compassionate fashion: "I use all natural fibers. Nothing synthetic, no animals. I think a lot about how animals are raised, are treated, are fed." Kelly has been vegan for 10 years.

"The designers I've worked with try not to use fur," said Irina Funtikova, a model, backstage before the show. She lives in Toronto, and when asked about Canada's commercial seal hunt for fur, Funtikova got the last word. "I think it's wrong."

Loren Drummond is associate editor of www.hsus.org.

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