Wearing your philosophy on your sleeve—or around your neck—is not exactly new. Back in the '60s, Vietnam protestors sported peace-sign necklaces; in the '80s, rappers wore gold-rope chains with large dollar signs dangling from the end; and '90s ushered in those ubiquitous "WWJD" bracelets.
But in January at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, journalists spotted a delicate silver necklace, with the letters "FF" in rhinestone, around the necks of actresses Tatum O'Neal, Rachael Leigh Cook, Anna Paquin, Ashley Scott, and Dominique Swain. These inquiring minds of the newspaper trade wanted to know the obvious question: What's the story here?
Mission accomplished.
These necklaces were created to start people talking—and thinking—about the fur industry, which willingly sacrifices fur-bearing animals in the name of high fashion. FF, then, stands for "fur free."
The necklace is the brainchild of Danny Seo, dubbed by The New York Post as an "eco-style genius." Seo, who combines environmental activism with a cutting-edge fashion sensibility, has joined with The Humane Society of the United States to form The Fur Free Society, a collective of fashion designers, celebrities, and opinion makers. The FF Society, bound by a common belief that fur is not a fabric, will celebrate the unofficial release of the FF™ necklace at a Los Angeles party on Wednesday, April 2.
What makes The FF Society unique among anti-fur groups is that it works from within the fashion industry, changing the mind-set of those who actually dictate what is fashionable.
The inspiration for the FF necklace came from the world of celebrity journalism. Seo read a lengthy article in US Weekly, which was devoted entirely to analyzing the meaning of a chain, with a discreet "J" on it, worn by actress Alyssa Milano. It occurred to Seo, according to USA Today, that "if one celeb wearing a 'J' necklace got so much attention, imagine 40 wearing an FF necklace."
How right he was. Once the necklace was designed and produced (by jewelers Alex & Ani), Seo handed it out to celebrities such as Cook, Christina Applegate, Courtney Cox, Fran Drescher, Frances Fisher, Liz Phair, Chynna Phillips, Charlotte Ross, Alicia Silverstone, Amy Smart, Britney Spears, and Mena Suvari. The next accessory, an FF ski hat, showed up atop some of the prettiest heads at the Sundance Film Festival. Several media outlets, including USA Today, The New York Post and even The Korea Herald, took immediate notice and prominently mentioned this new fashion phenomenon.
Part of the grace of the FF necklace is that it approaches the sometimes incendiary topic of fur without raising hackles. "This is a way where people who do wear fur won't feel preached to," Seo told USA Today recently. "It will plant a seed in their head."
Just as important, the necklace's wearers appear to feel comfortable making their statement in a non-confrontational way. Actress Ashley Scott has called the jewelry "a more subtle approach to standing up for a cause." She also seems to like the way the necklace looks: "It's also just a cool piece of jewelry."
The necklace's appeal would also appear to span generations. At The HSUS's Genesis Awards on March 15 in Beverly Hills, Michelle Phillips, of The Mamas and the Papas fame, and her daughter Chynna Phillips, formerly of the Wilson Phillips pop group, both showed off their FF necklaces. Like Scott, Chynna enjoys the way the necklace pulls off the trick of combining activism with fashion savvy: "Everyone needs to do their part to protect the planet and animals," she told USA Today. "And it's possible to do it with style."
The necklace was celebrated in high style during Los Angeles' Fashion Week. Chynna Phillips and Seo, along with Rachel Leigh Cook, Anna Getty, Jennie Garth, Ashley Scott, and Amy Smart, co-hosted the Fur Free Party on April 2 at the hip SmashBox Studios, owned by Max Factor heirs and make-up innovators Dean and Davis Factor.
Want your own FF necklace? You can order one here. (Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.)
While you're at it, check out the FF Society's new web site, furisnotfabric.com, to learn about the group's mission, its celebrity supporters or just to post a message.
The FF Society doesn't plan to stop with necklaces (or even hats). The projects will keep coming until fur is no longer considered fashionable.
