Prada Clothing + Prada Jacket = Faux Fur

[DuTTyRoCK112]

this may be off topic but can someone please tell me the sense in faux fur? on one hand, you're making a statement about animal cruelty but then faux fur still gives the "image" of wearing a dead animal... in this case i understand people who buy faux fur for financial reasons but why would a vegetarian, or vegan even, want to wear a replica of a dead animal's skin?

 

[Zazie]

I'm not vegan, but I'd volunteer that the texture of fur, i.e. very fine long fibre-pile really provides warmth and is a soothing sensation for the skin. I love the feel of fur even though I won't wear real fur, I have sensitive skin and the texture from wool is quite abrasive. I'm really happy that there are alternatives to animal fur that provide the same qualities without unnecessarily causing suffering to animals. I don't mind the faux looking faux, and even better, if it looks better than real fur. Fuzziness is also a form of texture, and I don't rule out options to mix and match various colours, materials or textures. I don't, however, want to look like I'm wearing an animal, and fluffiness/fuzziness need not be associated with animals, eg. cotton candy, silk padding, shag carpet. I think I may be the only one here who vigorously defended the "bathroom rug" look from Prada that was described with such disdain by Cathy Horyn! So, yeah, better to look like a muppet than an animal. I still eat meat, so yes, I guess I'm not kosher, but I'd embrace a great meat substitute if such a thing would exist.

 

[The_Ida]

I wish she would just shut up. I could comprehend it if she suddenly felt bad about killing all those animals to make ugly coats with ugly fur sleeves for rich women who also are very bored (otherwise they wouldn't dress so silly). She makes an *** out of herself every time she opens her mouth.

 

[Alejandro]

I think this will be a one season or two thing, to catch that wide amount of customers that are against fur/leather, and show them that there's a non leather Prada way.

Once they're in, Prada will go back to advertise as they normally are, but they locked in the customers that know that Prada has products for this kind of clientele. Let's say she decides to have a vegan MiuMiu or something like that, this would be an excellent way of attracting the customers, without Prada losing a spotlight.

 

[Scott]

Well...It was Jil that made her fond of the "techno fabrics" that I loathe so much.

I honestly...dont care...It's amazing, I care sooooo little about this. Maybe b/c Prada is clearly getting desperate for innovation.

you hit the nail on the head! it's no mystery she wants so much to be like rei kawakubo. just look at all her attempts the last few years. she tries so hard to maintain some kind of innovating relevance that she has to copy the ideas of those beneath her money mill without any credit. i just don't buy this at all. i think it's another step at desperately trying to be a 'fake' revolutionary. i just don't trust anything says or does. she's not the most honest person.

i'm all for abandoning the use of fur if i knew it was truly genuine. but it's hypocritical since it is a leathergoods house known for using other skins than fur.

 

[Scott]

and btw,why faux? i hate synthetics. why not with the technology of manufacturing take something more organic like wool or shearling and make a kind of softer fibre out of that? is that not possible?

 

[j´adore dior]

^ well, Peta is against wool too!!, but yeah, i´ve always thought of that aswell, cotton or silk sound like great materials to create soft furry textures, but yet again silk comes from worms...
Nature is so perfect that it seems impossible for us to emulate it, specially with petroleum derived materials.

 

[cavanaugh]

I think this whole thing is to maybe create more of a buzz around her f/w collection which didnt have any fur. But it really doesnt make sense, just because you decide you're "bored of fur, its so over" doesnt mean your suddenly an anti-fur advocate...because we all know it will be back soon. Seems very hypocritical of a brand that in my mind isnt only known for their fur, but also their use of crocodile and ostrich...

also, even though it gives peta's argument more cred, its weird that they agreed to this...

 

[Scott]

see that's another problem,synthetic production gives off to the already tremendous greenhouse problem,so where does one draw the line? use real fur and slaughter animals or fake products that will pollute the earth which will ultimately kill life anyway.

 

[stilettogirl84]

^ well, Peta is against wool too!!

It's so absurd. I don't like synthetic anythign, it just feels bad on the skin.

I think Miuccia is just trying to do something new or different or exciting or something, and that it won't last long

 

[cutxpaste]

i just think it's kind of dumb that she said she was "bored" of fur, and makes it sound as if she's not going to be using it now for aesthetic reasons not because of animal rights or anything like that... just sounds kind of lame to me

 

[masquerade]

see that's another problem,synthetic production gives off to the already tremendous greenhouse problem,so where does one draw the line? use real fur and slaughter animals or fake products that will pollute the earth which will ultimately kill life anyway.

i agree. personally, i think the fur is natural and what is natural is better than synthetic material which is not natural to this planet, but this isnt hte place for that discussion.


im tempted to not believe this. maybe its because it seems like such a big deal would be covered by major media sources (not to mention the press hungry PETA themselves) and this is the first place ive seen it. maybe they just took the quotes of her being bored w/ fur and ran w/ it.

 

[gius]

but does 'faux fur' have to mean it's synthetic? i've felt some cottons that have the sheen and softness of fur...there's just some different processing involved. and there is another natural derived from corn that's even more lovely it's easy to create 'furry textures' just with embroidery

 

[skot4mc]

see that's another problem,synthetic production gives off to the already tremendous greenhouse problem,so where does one draw the line? use real fur and slaughter animals or fake products that will pollute the earth which will ultimately kill life anyway.

I see your point.
But remember, a great deal of chemicals must be used in the production of real fur...to stop it decomposing etc, much like leather I assume.

If people have a problem with the environmental impact synthetic fibres carry, then they should all stop wearing cotton. It is afterall, the most environmentally disastrous fibre. Hence the rise in organic cotton use.

Going back to Prada, it is a decision that is addressing one problem, the ethical treatment of animals. It may not be the reasoning behind the decision, but it is a result because of it. Ultimately it is completly unreasonable for everyone to be satisfied by any descision these days, but perhaps we should focus on the positive.

Just a thought...

 

[Zazie]

From what the people who have worked with her have told me, I get the impression that she is quite sincere and conscious about ethics, and is interested in intellectual ideas. Whether that makes her an "intellectual" is another matter... her husband, who runs the company, is a ruthless a**hole of the highest order, and they frequently fight over the decisions he makes, but in the end, she prefers to simply concentrate on the design aspect and resigns herself to his style of running the business. I don't think she should be bashed as the figurehead, as she is really quite sincere and idealistic, and she attempts to be more than a trendy fashion designer in exploring fabrics, techniques, etc., but the Prada corporation itself, well....that's another story.

 

[Zazie]

I see your point.
But remember, a great deal of chemicals must be used in the production of real fur...to stop it decomposing etc, much like leather I assume.

If people have a problem with the environmental impact synthetic fibres carry, then they should all stop wearing cotton. It is afterall, the most environmentally disastrous fibre. Hence the rise in organic cotton use.

Going back to Prada, it is a decision that is addressing one problem, the ethical treatment of animals. It may not be the reasoning behind the decision, but it is a result because of it. Ultimately it is completly unreasonable for everyone to be satisfied by any descision these days, but perhaps we should focus on the positive.

Just a thought...

You nailed it wrt synthetics vs. natural materials. A lot of synthetic materials in general are more sustainable and environmentally friendly than naturals, especially when they are by-products of other industrial uses and materials. All textiles and materials have pros and cons to them, but synthetics are actually better for the enviornment than naturals. Faux fur is definitely more eco-friendly, and if this gesture is more than merely symbolic, and if faux fur is accepted as a respectable, luxurious and fashionable alternative to real fur, it will have real impact. Organic cotton is still highly resource-intensive to cultivate, transport and maintain compared to synthetics, but because it is pesticide free (cotton accounts for 1% of US crops but 10% of pesticide use), it is not so bad.

Here's an interesting review:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/24/business/clothing.php?page=1

 

[gius]

^Going off-topic, but HEMP is trying to get more noticed... It is actually cheaper and easier to produce than cotton and it doesn't feel bad on the skin at all. There's just this fight coming from the cotton industry and placing higher taxes on hemp is one of the things they do to keep the market away

Well...It was Jil that made her fond of the "techno fabrics" that I loathe so much.

I hope I get the chance soon to see how these techno fabrics feel like. I thought they were supposed to be high quality? So they should feel better and work better too... I just don't like how some synthetics cause all this static--where I go, I get zapped if I'm wearing them
If Prada's done faux fur before, how do they feel? How did the ones feel in the f/w '07 collection, anyone know?

 

[ilaughead]

So does anyone think that Prada will price the faux-furs at similar prices to real fur just to create the image that the customer isn't substituting it for the real thing, but instead investing in a different material?

 

[Diorling]

OF COURSE. This is Prada, the only company who can charge thousands for what are essentially plastic bags.

 

[ilaughead]

^What are you talking about!!?! I'm sure it costs hundreds (of yen) to produce those nylon bags!