Fur-Free Fashions

As far as I am concerned, "The City of Angels", that charming nickname bestowed upon Los Angeles, California, couldn't be more appropriate. It certainly couldn’t be a more perfect place for Born Free USA to hold their second annual fur free fashion show in Hollywood at the Wonderland this past September.

Featured at the show included budding compassionate designers who placed in Born Free USA's Fur Free Fashion Competition and 10 of the most innovative and creative eco-friendly, fur free fashion designers of the day. Check out some of the gorgeous clothes entered in the show.

According to an article on Born Free USA’s website, attending the fur free show were hundreds of fashion enthusiasts who saw for themselves that "compassion is the future of fashion." Hopefully the very idea of killing animals for their skins to make fancy clothing and accessories itself will slowly but surely become totally out of style.

But it is not only these compassionate trendy designers who are busy creating fabulous fur-less fashions to delight consumers, and get the message out that fur garments must become passé. Just days before the show, the City Council of West Hollywood, one of the most compassionate animal loving cities in California, unanimously passed a ban on the sale of fur clothing. West Hollywood, you rock!

And it seems that several different cities around the country are also getting on the band-wagon to stop the brutal killing of animals whose skins are destined to be worn or used in making “fashion” accessories. The City Council in Santa Fe, New Mexico, recently passed a resolution showing its support for a ban on trapping animals on public lands.

Earlier this year, Born Free USA documented what they described as "shocking brutality" by trappers in New Mexico and Pennsylvania in "Victims of Vanity", their landmark investigation. Ever since then they have been putting pressure on lawmakers in the states to pass legislation to ban trapping on public lands.

Additionally, it appears that some celebrities are joining in and making their voices heard to protest real-fur fashions. Just to name one, "O", Oprah Winfrey's magazine, will no longer show images of real fur garments. Ms. Winfrey said, "In the beginning, my thing was, 'Have you seen Chicago winters? You need a fur coat in Chicago!' But I had an ah-ha moment looking at a sable cape in my closet . . . And that was it. I gave away all my furs 20 years ago."

After all, it goes without saying that passionate animal lovers would never consider wearing a dog or cat around their neck, unless it was wagging its tail, or purring contentedly while perched on the shoulder of a beloved human. With all the magnificent faux–fur materials that can glamorize the fussiest fashion hound, this writer wants to know why many of the main-stream fashion industries and designers are still out there peddling the pelts of beautiful wild animals ? It’s a total non-compute.

What is appealing about real fur? Leave a comment and share your opinions.