It wasn’t until the introduction of the Endangered Species Act in 1973 that the leopard skin trade ceased – not accounting for underground illegal trade that persists to this day, generally not for sartorial purposes however?
The fashion industry and its consumers became more akin to animal rights, wearing an endangered animal was frowned upon. Although, while the Endangered Species Act put leopard and other at risk species sales at bay the fur industry wasn’t majorly affected as now there was no guilt involved with purchasing a fur, consumers had a clear conscience that they weren’t wearing the last of a dying breed slung around their necks.
Cassini wasn’t alone in his fur imitations as synthetic furs began appearing on the market as well as, in the case of the leopard, iterations of the print in different forms, ie. scarf with leopard motif?
1991 Rather go naked than wear fur PETA campaign is launched.
The 1990s saw a surge in synthetic fibres across the board in fashion.
The anti-fur movement
Supporters of fur however have attempted to tarnish the already unsavoury synthetic furs. Having a huge ecological footprint man-made fibres haven’t got the best reputation. Aware of this, fur supporters argue that while the production of real fur does take its toll on the planet its a far more sustainable industry than that posed by the production of synthetic furs. However, as Lucy Siegle points out in her book To Die For “Michigan University research concluded the amount of energy needed to produce real fur coats is twenty times greater than that needed for their faux counter-part.” (Siegle, 2011) Rendering the pro-fur argument utterly futile. Siegle also mentions that “the Industrial Pollution Projection System rates ‘fur dressing’ as one of the five worst industries for toxic metal pollution to the land. along with the dyeing industry.”
Fur dressing is broken down by Elaine Stone in her comprehensive text on the fashion industry: In Fashion. Soaked in mechanical means the pelts are softened. A ‘flesher’ removes and unwanted substances from the inner surface of the skin. Guard hairs – the longer, unkempt and not uniform in length are removed and the underfur sheared in order to make a lightweight fur. The pelts must then go to the dryer, following which they are dyed – more chemicals.
websites such as furisgreen.com and thetruthaboutfur.com boast the ecological benefits of fur as a fashion textile.
fur is in the main processed with formaldehyde and chromium, two highly polluting, potentially carcinogenic substances. (Siegle, 2011)
chemical intervention is necessary in dressing fur.
Whereas on thetruthaboutfur.com The main chemicals used to “dress” fur pelts are table salt, water, alum salts, soda ash, sawdust, cornstarch, lanolin and other natural ingredients.
small quantities of formaldehyde may sometimes be used
The two opposing sides of the argument stress the differing aspects.
in spite of this illegal hunting persists.
The laborious task of fur dressing requires the utmost skill during all elements
Newly developed bio-fabricated leather involves taking cells from cows and growing leather. This process eliminates the laborious dressing element which requires …and causes … pollution on a monumental scale
Being a by-product of the meat industry, this argument however is not applicable to the produce made from the skins of big cats and the more exotic animals not farmed for their meat.
Fur farms are
The majority of wild animal pelts are sourced from trappers. When trapping wild animals colder seasons are more favourable as it is at this time of year that the fur is of its highest quality.
Despite the obvious outrage at killing animals for their fur there are still instances today in which snow leopards are being illegally hunted and sold on the black market / traded
Only recently it was reported that the skin of a snow leopard was found in a car// PETA
evocative WWF advertisements depicting leopards
Imitation of leopard skin was not an entirely new notion
the Ancient Egyptians are believed to have mimicked the desirable print of the rare leopard’s coat by stencilling it onto other more available furs and onto other fabrics, much like the designers of today.
leopard skin fur coats are offered in rabbit skin
Sumptuary laws in force from the 14th to the 16th centuries dictated who was eligible to wear certain furs. During this time it was mainly nobility, royalty and clergy members who wore fur
In Europe by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the social usage of fashion fabrics was no longer so controlled by sumptuary laws of court and church but had become subject to new forces – those of market economies…(Ewing, 1981)
Long considered a luxury industry, animal skins and furs rely on the wealthy
Historically, leopard has been worn by powerful figures including a young Queen Elizabeth, … and British Prime Minister Theresa May is a fan of stepping out in leopard print pumps;
These figures of popular culture favouring to adopt the leopard’s spots leads to increased demand among the masses who wish to emulate their style. This proved particularly true during the 1960’s when the fashionable first lady Jacqueline Kennedy was pictured shopping in New York in none other than a leopard skin coat in 1962. The coat was designed by her personal courtier Oleg Cassini the curator of the infamous Jackie Look women everywhere sought to imitate. In the fashion typical of the first lady, the coat consisted of simple lines, three-quarter length sleeves and was paired with black gloves and pumps so as not to overshadow the daring leopard print. The coat was such a hit that it consequently resulted in the mass slaughter of what is estimated to be around 250,000 leopards in order to meet the high demand for the popular print during the sixties. It could take up to eight leopards to fashion just one of these coats. Subsequently Cassini, having realised the shocking reality of dressing such a high profile figure what profound effects his designs could have on the natural world, namely the diminishing population of leopards to the point of borderline endangerment, for which he has publicly held his design accountable. Sworn off exploiting animals for their skins for the remainder of his career, Cassini turned to the production of synthetic fur which he named Evolutionary Fur, seeing it as the next progressive step of fur in fashion. Made when “an artist scans a photo or drawing of an animal into a computer, which creates a digital simulation of the fur. The computer then maps a formula, the fabric is woven by machinery, and the look of fur is perfectly matched. By closely mimicking an animal’s coat, the deep pile fabric made with both long guard hairs and short fur with an insulating undercoat
He is quoted as banishing fur as being illogical and unnecessary in modern society, “there’s no logic in real fur; it was for a different time, when people didn’t have choices. Now its just a luxury habit.”
There are traces of animal skins and prints being deployed for human adornment throughout history.
Animal skins are widely regarded in our collective consciousness / in the public domain as being used by prehistoric man
In the first line of Fur in Dress, author Elizabeth Ewing proclaims fur tho be “the first fashion” and the only one “with claim to be God-ordained.” She goes on to support this statement with reference to the bible, citing a segment from Genesis III, 2I in which the Lord God clothed Adam and Eve by making coats of skins. Ewing sums up with ? “Whether we choose to regard the Garden of Eden as history, allegory or fable, the fact beyond dispute is that the skins of animals he hunted for the food that kept him alive were primitive man’s first covering for his body.” (Ewing, 1981)
It was widely believed that by stepping into the skin of the beats they had overcome the wearer “became endowed with the strength of these animals.”
by adopting the leopard’s fierce rosette coat the wearer also
this is perhaps why the leopard has been used as adornment for Roman legionaries and famously the Zulu warriors preferred battle dress. Leopard skin is of astounding significance to the Zulu tribe who, to this day,
The leopard is also believed to have religious connotations in Ancient Egypt in that the animal is representative of Mafdet, goddess of the sky.
Examples of leopard skin being worn in Ancient Egyptian society:
“A well known picture of Tutankhamun shows a figure wearing a leopard skin, and this animal is believed to have had religious significance in Ancient Egypt.” This picture was found in Tutankhamun’s tomb along with other notable leopard skin pieces.
The figure Ewing refers to is Tutankhamun’s successor, the Pharaoh Ay. The skin the pharaoh is seen wearing remains fully intact with head, tail, feet and claws still attached and is draped around the upper body as a cloak.
In Greece civilisation the leopard was associated with Dionysus, and its wild carnality was celebrated. Dionysus — Roman God Bacchus
undomesticated / untameable nature of the animal – the idea of the leopard skin as being sensual and raucous – revisited in the era of silent movie stars and Hollywood starlets pictured sprawled across the skin of an exotic animal – tigers leopards
The leopard men, active from the 18th century up until the 1940’s, were famed for cloaking themselves in leopard skin and committing murderous acts.