Georgie Kennett
Professional Make-Up Project
Fur Trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued.
Worldwide, more than 40 million animals are killed for their fur – 85% are bred and killed on fur farms and the rest are trapped in the wild. This figure does not include the thousands of millions of rabbits killed for the fur trade. The most commonly bred animals on fur farms are mink and fox, but the industry also breeds and kills polecats, raccoons and chinchillas. It is estimated that two million cats and dogs are also killed for their fur. There are 6,500 fur farms in the EU. Europe is responsible for 70% of global mink fur production, and 63% of fox fur production. The countries that farm the most animals for their fur are Denmark, China and Finland.
On fur farms, animals are imprisoned in tiny wire-mesh cages for their entire lives until they are killed. For species such as mink and fox, these conditions are especially appalling, as they are wild animals and would naturally travel many miles each day. Being caged in huge sheds, where thousands of other animals are also imprisoned, drives them insane with anxiety and fear. Repetitive movements, such as head-bobbing and circling, are therefore common.
Animals on fur farms are killed by electrocution (through the use of electrodes in the mouth and anus), gassing, lethal injection or neck breaking. These crude methods are employed to ensure that the pelts (the animals’ skins and fur) are not damaged.
The fur industry makes its huge profits by keeping production costs down to the bare minimum. Animals are kept in appalling conditions, crammed into row after row of tiny barren cages, and left to stand on metal bars for their entire lives. Even the method of slaughter is chosen purely with profit in mind, designed only to protect the valuable pelts, without any consideration for the animal’s suffering. However, the barbaric fur industry continues to thrive, fuelled by the increasing consumer demand.
Fur Used in Fashion
In 2014 there was a popular new uniform for many of those attending the present round of fashion shows in the world's hippest cities – skinny jeans, trainers and a fur coat. Big-name design houses including Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Tom Ford have been pushing fur on the catwalks, and the fur coat for the male market is a major new trend for next winter.
This month the biggest auction of furs ever seen in the industry will take place in Helsinki, when dealers and designers will be vying for 11 million mink pelts, two million fox and one million assorted wild animal furs. Prices are expected to reach record levels.
Mark Oaten, chief executive of the International Fur Trade Federation, says that demand for fur is so huge that the industry is suffering a desperate skills shortage. According to Oaten, a younger generation has discovered fur, while recent technological advances mean that the industry can do far more with fur in terms of mixing it with other fabrics, thinning it and dyeing it.
Reference Images:
Ltd, S., Mews, 7-9 Botts, London and W2 5AG. T: 020 7229 0202 (no date) Fur Fashion | Animal Welfare Standards For Wild And Farmed Fur | Fur Production | Fur Trail | Origin Assured (OATM) - British Fur Trade Association. Available at: http://www.britishfur.co.uk/ (Accessed: 11 April 2015)
The former Made In Chelsea star has joined forces with animal rights crusaders PETA on a hard-hitting anti-fur campaign directed at Harvey Nichols after the national department store abandoned its ten-year anti-fur policy.
'Harvey Nichols: Here's the Rest of Your Fur Coat,' the slogan reads, alongside an image of the 26-year-old animal lover, who is brandishing what appears to be a skinned fox.
Looking into fur trade is relevent research for my work because my idea focuses on the beauty of nature and futuristic man kind as seperate things and how mankind is ruining nature- the fur trade is one of the ways mankind is doing so.
Elliott, A. F. (2015) Made in Chelsea’s Ashley James poses with skinned ‘fox’ in shocking ad. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3052560/Made-Chelsea-s-Ashley-James-poses-skinned-fox-shocking-campaign-aimed-Harvey-Nichols-store-ditches-decade-long-anti-fur-policy.html (Accessed: 11 April 2015)
Animal Testing
Right now, millions of mice, rats, rabbits, primates, cats, dogs, and other animals are locked inside cold, barren cages in laboratories across the country. They languish in pain, ache with loneliness, and long to roam free and use their minds. Instead, all they can do is sit and wait in fear of the next terrifying and painful procedure that will be performed on them.
Animal testing for cosmetics in the EU:
1898 - The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) was founded to campaign against all forms of animal testing
1973 - The BUAV first brought the issue of cosmetics testing on animals to the public attention
1990 - The BUAV established the European Coalition to End Cosmetics Tests on Animals (now the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments – ECEAE) an alliance of leading European animal organisations formed for the purpose of ending animal tests for cosmetics in the EU
1991 - The BUAV and ECEAE organise an international march and rally in Brussels and an iconic, larger than life ‘laboratory rabbit’ Vanity tours countries across Europe to urge MEPs to vote to end animal tests for cosmetics
1996 - Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, joined members of the BUAV, ECEAE, MEPs and Chrissie Hynde in presenting a petition containing 4 million signatures to the European Commission to end animal testing for cosmetics
2004 - A ban on animal testing of finished cosmetic products (but not ingredients) was imposed in Europe
2009 - Testing of cosmetic ingredients on animals anywhere in the EU is made illegal, as was selling or importing into the EU any animal tested ingredients to be used in cosmetics. However, three animal tests were made exempt in order to allow non-animal tests to be validated.
2011 - The BUAV and its European partners launch the No Cruel Cosmetics campaign to call for the import and sales ban to be implemented in 2013 as planned without delay or derogation.
2012 - The BUAV founds Cruelty Free International, the first organisation to campaign for a global ban on animal tests for consumer products. The Body Shop hosts our global pledge campaign in its stores worldwide.
11th March 2013 - A complete ban on animal testing for cosmetics is implemented in the EU.
- See more at: http://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/en/the-solution/animal-testing-for-cosmetics-in-europe-finally-set-to-end#sthash.AG2NKwTe.dpuf
