Fur has never been less fashionable, with many designer labels such as Gucci, Chanel, Versace, Armani, Coach and Prada going fur-free in recent years. London Fashion Week banned fur from its catwalks in 2018, and celebrities like Kim Kardashian West and Queen Elizabeth II have renounced real fur. Even Anna Wintour, once known for her fox and mink coats, now wears fake fur.
Despite this shift, fur remains a feature of certain luxury brands. Fendi, which started as a fur house in 1925, still sells items like a grey £14,900 inlaid mink parka and a £290 fox Pom-Pom bag charm. Louis Vuitton offers a £7,900 fox intarsia jacket and a £32,500 mink coat. China accounts for 80% of the fur trade, and Euromonitor projects fur manufacturing there will rise from £6.6bn to £6.9bn in 2021.
In the West, fewer high-profile figures are photographed in full fur coats, but outliers include Jennifer Lopez, who wore a fur coat in the 2019 film 'Hustlers', and hip hop stars like Cardi B and Diddy. Many celebrities wear fur in stealthier ways, such as Canada Goose jackets with coyote trim hoods, though the company plans to use reclaimed fur from 2022 after animal rights campaigns.
