Fashion brands ignore the impact of fake fur

Fake fur has become increasingly popular with fashion brands in recent years as consumers become more conscious of the impacts of the fur industry. Luxury fashion brands have received praise in recent years for using fake fur as an alternative to the real thing in their attest collections however the faux materials pose their own threat to the environment and are in many ways just as bad as the real thing. The manufacture of the synthetic materials in the products cause green gas emissions and the garments almost always end up in landfill because they are difficult to recycle. Fast fashion trends often mean that clothes are quickly discarded as well, compounding the issue.

The fashion industry is being critisised for ignoring the impacts of faux alternative and synthetic materials. Clothing made out artificial fibres such as polyester are reliant on emission heavy manufacturing processes. It has also been pointed out that taking clothes to a charity shop is rarely as sustainable a method of recycling clothes as people seem to think as many clothes remain unsold.

At the moment faux fur garments are on-trend and highly sought after, many celebrities have been seen wearing fake fur over the past year and consumers are adopting the trend. A number of new brands specialising in fake fur have also cropped up as a result of the popularity of the look.

Critics say that consumers should be made more aware of the potential environmental impacts of their fashion choices and that the culture of fast fashion and disposability should be questioned. Consumers should focus on searching for vintage fashions and making longer lasting, more sustainable fashion choices. Education of sustainability and ethical clothing choices is key to seeing industry wide change and the reduction of environmental impacts.