Why fashion has fallen back in love with fur

Fashion month is over, and the catwalk results are in: we’re piling on the belts, leaning towards extra large pearls, and big bloomers are about to be everywhere – you can thank Chloé for that. Yet, it seems the most visible trend taking over almost every catwalk, from the household names to the new up-and-comers, could actually be the most controversial, as fur makes a comeback after years of people campaigning against it. And it seems attitudes are starting to shift.

To paint a quick picture: Gabriella Hearst made a vintage mink coat the star of the show, Elie Saab sent fur coats, shoes and bags down the runway, adding a ‘sumptuous finishing touch,’ according to the show notes, and Fendi created fluffy coats that looked like fox, mink and sable out of shearling – more on that later.

With the trend branded as ‘boom boom’ – think the opposite of quiet luxury – plenty of other Houses leant into the fuzzy look with faux fur designs: Chloé, Nina Ricci, Rabanne and Time, to name but a few. But before we go pointing fingers at which fluffy fabrics are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, as plenty of fashion fans are now doing on social media, we need to understand that when it comes to fur, it isn’t all that simple – and I say this as a meat eater who once cried after finding a rabbit trimmed hat in my mum's wardrobe, precisely proving the point is ironic yet quite complex.

Image 1 of 3

“This new trend for [real] fur is coming from the very young consumers, 18-22 years olds, who feel that real fur is more sustainable because it is long lasting and can be repurposed or upcycled,” says Yves Salomon, founder of namesake luxury furrier. Supporting this statement, The Guardian reports views of videos about vintage coats have increased by 243% over the past year on TikTok while Google searches for “vintage fur coats” have reportedly gone up 688% since January 2023. Clearly the key word is ‘vintage’ when it comes to the real deal.

Sensing this shift, Yves Salomon created a resource pact in 2020 to drastically reduce the production of animal fur through reusing, recycling and upcycling existing skins, and the brand offers these services to consumers in its London Conduit street store. Gabriela Hearst also got the vintage memo, crafting the runway coat from vintage mink fur coats bought in Italy, unstitched and re-assembled by hand. Although, of course, there's only so much vintage fur to go around, so we need another wider spread solution.

“Faux fur used to be seen as the ethical alternative to real fur, but its sustainability issues are hard to ignore,” says Bianca Foley, founder and editor of Sustainably Influenced.

“Most faux fur is made from synthetic materials like acrylic and polyester, which shed microplastics into the environment and don’t biodegrade,” she continues, emphasising the pitfalls of a fabric once thought of as the animal-friendly solution. However, if you're totally against animal skins but still want to lean into the look, this is indeed your answer, and plenty of brands proved it can look particularly chic on this season’s runways.

Otherwise, it seems the solution is shearling. “Since shearling is a byproduct of the meat industry, it’s often positioned as a more sustainable option than faux fur,” explains Foley, while Salomon shares it’s “the only aesthetic and natural luxury material which could eventually imitate fur”.

As a result, shearling is what we largely saw on the runway this season, with labels such as Chloé, Zimmermann and Fendi experimenting with the sheep skin in different ways, producing luxury products that are categorised more similarly to leather.

So, for many of us who do consume animal products, shearling feels like a safe middle ground, and I predict we're only going to be seeing more of this material as the trend continues to evolve.

Yet why the 'boom boom' fuzzy fashion came out in full force across the most recent fashion weeks is the question that most editors are pondering. Some say it's the industry's fight back against 'borecore' or that it showcases our increased interest in vintage style, while others argue more political influences are at play. Ultimately, as the rise of the 'mobwife' aesthetic proved, it seems to be what we as consumers are asking for.

So, now that the trend has firmly arrived, it's time for us to cast our judgement in a way that's the most powerful: with our pockets, particularly once the high street takes hold of it. Real, faux or shearling, the choice is yours.