Pei Su, founder of anti-fur charity ACTAsia, expresses concern over the resurgence of real fur in fashion, particularly encouraged by celebrities on social media.
In an article by Pei Su, the founder of the anti-fur charity ACTAsia, she voices her horror at the increasing trend of celebrities promoting real fur, particularly amid the rise of the #FurReal movement on TikTok. Su, who has dedicated two decades to advocacy against fur use in fashion, warns that this trend could reverse years of progress made towards animal rights. With London Fashion Week having taken a stand by going fur-free in 2023, she recalls her relief at not seeing real fur on the catwalk and highlighting the positive changes in the industry.
Despite the apparent victory of the fur-free movement in fashion, Su is troubled by the younger generation's fascination with real fur. She emphasizes the importance of remembering the cruelty inherent in fur farming, which she has witnessed firsthand. This new trend challenges the advocacy movement's hard work and risks dragging animal rights back by decades, undermining the progress made. The disparity between public sentiment against fur and the resurgence of its popularity among influencers represents a critical tension within contemporary fashion culture.
Su concludes by urging both the fashion industry and consumers to remain vigilant against the normalization of real fur. She calls on young people, who she sees as potential agents of change, to reconsider their support of trends that glorify the use of real animal fur and to embrace more ethical alternatives. Ultimately, the conversation around fur in fashion is not just about aesthetics, but about the ethical implications tied to animal welfare.
