Fur Business
Fur clothing - is clothing made of the fur of animals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing; thought to have been widely used as hominids first expanded outside of Africa.
Some view fur as luxurious and warm; others reject it due to moral beliefs. The term 'a fur' is often used to refer to a coat, wrap, or shawl made from the fur of animals.
History and use - Fur is generally thought to have been among the first materials used for clothing and bodily decoration. The exact date when fur was first used in clothing is debated. It is known that several species of hominoids including Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis used fur clothing.
Fur is still worn in most mild and cool climates around the world due to its superior warmth and durability. From the days of early European settlement, up until the development of modern clothing alternatives, fur clothing was popular in Canada during the cold winters. The invention of inexpensive synthetic textiles for insulating clothing led to fur clothing falling out of fashion.
Some view fur as luxurious and warm; others reject it due to moral beliefs. The term 'a fur' is often used to refer to a coat, wrap, or shawl made from the fur of animals.
History and use - Fur is generally thought to have been among the first materials used for clothing and bodily decoration. The exact date when fur was first used in clothing is debated. It is known that several species of hominoids including Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis used fur clothing.
Fur is still worn in most mild and cool climates around the world due to its superior warmth and durability. From the days of early European settlement, up until the development of modern clothing alternatives, fur clothing was popular in Canada during the cold winters. The invention of inexpensive synthetic textiles for insulating clothing led to fur clothing falling out of fashion.
Fur is still used by indigenous people and developed societies, due to its availability and superior insulation properties. The Inuit peoples of the Arctic relied on fur for most of their clothing, and it also forms a part of traditional Russian, Scandinavian and Japanese clothing.
It is also sometimes associated with glamour and lavish spending. A number of consumers and designers -- notably British fashion designer and outspoken animal rights activist Stella McCartney -- reject fur due to moral beliefs and perceived cruelty to animals.
Animal furs used in garments and trim may be dyed bright colors or with patterns, often to mimic exotic animal pelts: alternatively they may be left their original pattern and color. Fur may be shorn down to imitate the feel of velvet, creating a fabric called shearling.
Common animal sources for fur clothing and fur trimmed accessories include fox, rabbit, mink, beaver, stoat (ermine), otter, sable, seals, cats, dogs, coyotes, chinchilla, and possum. Some of these are more highly prized than others, and there are many grades and colors.
It is also sometimes associated with glamour and lavish spending. A number of consumers and designers -- notably British fashion designer and outspoken animal rights activist Stella McCartney -- reject fur due to moral beliefs and perceived cruelty to animals.
Animal furs used in garments and trim may be dyed bright colors or with patterns, often to mimic exotic animal pelts: alternatively they may be left their original pattern and color. Fur may be shorn down to imitate the feel of velvet, creating a fabric called shearling.
Common animal sources for fur clothing and fur trimmed accessories include fox, rabbit, mink, beaver, stoat (ermine), otter, sable, seals, cats, dogs, coyotes, chinchilla, and possum. Some of these are more highly prized than others, and there are many grades and colors.
The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on. Depending on the type of fur and its purpose, some of the chemicals involved in fur processing are table salts, alum salts, acids, soda ash, sawdust, cornstarch, lanolin, degreasers and less commonly bleaches, dyes and toners (for dyed fur).
Workers exposed to fur dust created during fur processing have been shown to have reduced pulmonary function in direct proportion to their length of exposure.
In contrast, leather made from any animal hide involves removing the fur from the skin and using only the tanned skin. The use of wool involves shearing the animal's hair from the living animal, so that the wool can be regrown.
Fake fur or "faux fur" designates any synthetic material that attempts to mimic the appearance and feel of real fur.
The chemical treatment of fur to increase its felting quality is known as carroting, as the process tends to turn the tips of the fur a carrot orange color.
A furrier is a person who makes, repairs, alters, cleans, or otherwise deals in furs of animals.
Workers exposed to fur dust created during fur processing have been shown to have reduced pulmonary function in direct proportion to their length of exposure.
In contrast, leather made from any animal hide involves removing the fur from the skin and using only the tanned skin. The use of wool involves shearing the animal's hair from the living animal, so that the wool can be regrown.
Fake fur or "faux fur" designates any synthetic material that attempts to mimic the appearance and feel of real fur.
The chemical treatment of fur to increase its felting quality is known as carroting, as the process tends to turn the tips of the fur a carrot orange color.
A furrier is a person who makes, repairs, alters, cleans, or otherwise deals in furs of animals.
Anti-fur campaigns - Anti-fur campaigns reached a peak in the 1980s and 1990s, with the participation of numerous celebrities. Fur clothing has become the focus of boycotts on the opinion that it is cruel and unnecessary. PETA and other animal rights organizations, celebrities, and animal rights ethicists, have called attention to fur farming. Whilst other organizations and celebrities have promoted the use of fur.
Animal rights advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and to the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms due to concerns about the animals suffering and death. They promote "alternatives" made from synthetics (oil-based) clothing.
Some animal rights groups have disrupted fur fashion shows with protests while others sponsor anti-fur poster contests and fashion shows featuring faux furs or other alternatives to fur clothing. These groups sponsor "Compassionate Fashion Day" on the third Saturday of August to promote their anti-fur message. Other groups participate in "Fur Free Friday", an event held annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) that occurs globally with the intent to bring the issue of fur to light through educational displays, protests and other methods of campaigning.
Animal rights advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and to the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms due to concerns about the animals suffering and death. They promote "alternatives" made from synthetics (oil-based) clothing.
Some animal rights groups have disrupted fur fashion shows with protests while others sponsor anti-fur poster contests and fashion shows featuring faux furs or other alternatives to fur clothing. These groups sponsor "Compassionate Fashion Day" on the third Saturday of August to promote their anti-fur message. Other groups participate in "Fur Free Friday", an event held annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) that occurs globally with the intent to bring the issue of fur to light through educational displays, protests and other methods of campaigning.
Denmark - Kopenhagen Fur (www.kopenhagenfur.com) is one of the world's largest fur auction houses and leading supplier of fur. Kopenhagen Fur's head office is located in Glostrup in Greater Copenhagen. The company is a co-operative established by Danish fur farmers.
In Canada, opposition to the annual seal hunt is viewed as an anti-fur issue, although the Humane Society of the United States claims that its opposition is to "the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth."
IFAW - the International Fund for Animal Welfare, claims that Canada has an "abysmal record of enforcement" of anti-cruelty laws surrounding the hunt although a Canadian government survey indicated that two-thirds of Canadians supported the hunting of seals if the regulations under Canadian law are enforced.
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in six countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia. Canada's largest market for seals is Norway (through GC Rieber AS).
Products from all marine mammals, even from non-threatened populations and regulated hunts, such as the Canadian seal hunt, are banned in the United States. August 2010 European Union ban on trade in seal products, from Canada.
IFAW - the International Fund for Animal Welfare, claims that Canada has an "abysmal record of enforcement" of anti-cruelty laws surrounding the hunt although a Canadian government survey indicated that two-thirds of Canadians supported the hunting of seals if the regulations under Canadian law are enforced.
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in six countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia. Canada's largest market for seals is Norway (through GC Rieber AS).
Products from all marine mammals, even from non-threatened populations and regulated hunts, such as the Canadian seal hunt, are banned in the United States. August 2010 European Union ban on trade in seal products, from Canada.
The pitiless fur industry mistreats and kills more than 50 million animals a year. With many warm, chic alternatives available, there’s no reason to wear animal fur. More and more designers and retailers are making compassion fashion.
Signing petitions will not prevent this - everyone has to help as enlightened human being and point out to people who wear fur, that they contribute to global profits at the expense of animal suffering.
Statistics - More than 50 million animals worldwide, including raccoon dogs, rabbits, foxes, mink, and chinchillas, are raised in cages and killed each year for their fur.
Not only are cage-raised animals killed inhumanely, but they suffer from numerous physical and behavioral abnormalities induced by the stress of caging conditions.
After spending their lives in squalid conditions, animals raised on fur farms are killed by cruel methods that preserve the pelt, such as gassing, neck-breaking, beaten to death or anal electrocution. Many are still alive while the skin is drawn from the body.
What say and do European Union - concerning animals kept and killed for their fur ......
EUROPEAN COMMISSION - HEALTH & CONSUMER PROTECTION DIRECTORATE - GENERAL
The Welfare of Animals kept for Fur Production
EUROPEAN COMMISSION - HEALTH & CONSUMER PROTECTION DIRECTORATE - GENERAL
The Welfare of Animals kept for Fur Production
Kopenhagen Fur - one of the world's largest fur auction houses
DENMARK - Kopenhagen Fur (www.kopenhagenfur.com) is one of the world's largest fur auction houses and leading supplier of fur. Kopenhagen Fur's head office is located in Glostrup in Greater Copenhagen. The company is a co-operative established by Danish fur farmers.
Kopenhagen Fur is known for having some of the highest standards in the fur industry with a unique system of sorting that ensures the best fur quality in the world, making Kopenhagen Fur the most sought after brand of fur on the market.
Kopenhagen Fur meets with the international fur industry at five annual auctions, where the fur's current market value is set. The season begins in December with succeeding auctions in February, April, June and September.
Simply put, Kopenhagen Fur is the largest fur auction house in the world, with sales of around 18 million mink skins in addition to two million other skins, for example fox, swakara, chinchilla, seal, sable, rabbit and karakul furs.
Kopenhagen Fur is known for having some of the highest standards in the fur industry with a unique system of sorting that ensures the best fur quality in the world, making Kopenhagen Fur the most sought after brand of fur on the market.
Kopenhagen Fur meets with the international fur industry at five annual auctions, where the fur's current market value is set. The season begins in December with succeeding auctions in February, April, June and September.
Simply put, Kopenhagen Fur is the largest fur auction house in the world, with sales of around 18 million mink skins in addition to two million other skins, for example fox, swakara, chinchilla, seal, sable, rabbit and karakul furs.
KOPENHAGEN FUR - FEBRUARY 2013 - The February auction was in all respects a record auction: - Kopenhagen Fur offered the largest number of mink on a single auction: 5.7 million mink. - The auction house reached the highest turnover of a single auction: 3.7 billion DKK/496 million EUR/673 million USD. - The highest number of mink sold in a single day: 2 million skins (turnover: approx.1.5 billion DKK/201 million EUR/273 million USD). - The highest average price of a single auction: 614 DKK/82.3 EUR/116.6 USD. - Kopenhagen Fur welcomed more customers than ever before: 800+
On sale: Copenhagen Fur (world wide):
Current sales programme - Sales reports Per month total offering February. 2013: Skins (number of killed animals): 5,713,062, Lots: 24,220, Show lots: 7.750 |
Published February 28, 2013 - "Nicoleta Boicu präsentiert IMPEL Pelzmäntel Luxury Furs in Marbella, Spanien. Mr. Iordanis Michailidis IMPEL Besitzer kaufte die besten Chinchilla Fur viele auf der Auktion des "Kopenhagen Fur" im vergangenen Juni, 2012"
check all .......
Fur clothing - Fur clothing is clothing made of the fur of animals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing; thought to have been widely used as hominids first expanded outside of Africa. Some view fur as luxurious and warm; others reject it due to moral beliefs. The term 'a fur' is often used to refer to a coat, wrap, or shawl made from the fur of animals.
History and use - Fur is generally thought to have been among the first materials used for clothing and bodily decoration. The exact date when fur was first used in clothing is debated. It is known that several species of hominoids including Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis used fur clothing.
Fur is still worn in most mild and cool climates around the world due to its superior warmth and durability. From the days of early European settlement, up until the development of modern clothing alternatives, fur clothing was popular in Canada during the cold winters. The invention of inexpensive synthetic textiles for insulating clothing led to fur clothing falling out of fashion.
Fur is still used by indigenous people and developed societies, due to its availability and superior insulation properties. The Inuit peoples of the Arctic relied on fur for most of their clothing, and it also forms a part of traditional Russian, Scandinavian and Japanese clothing.
It is also sometimes associated with glamour and lavish spending. A number of consumers and designers -- notably British fashion designer and outspoken animal rights activist Stella McCartney -- reject fur due to moral beliefs and perceived cruelty to animals.
Animal furs used in garments and trim may be dyed bright colors or with patterns, often to mimic exotic animal pelts: alternatively they may be left their original pattern and color. Fur may be shorn down to imitate the feel of velvet, creating a fabric called shearling.
Common animal sources for fur clothing and fur trimmed accessories include fox, rabbit, mink, beaver, stoat (ermine), otter, sable, seals, cats, dogs, coyotes, chinchilla, and possum. Some of these are more highly prized than others, and there are many grades and colors.
The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on. Depending on the type of fur and its purpose, some of the chemicals involved in fur processing are table salts, alum salts, acids, soda ash, sawdust, cornstarch, lanolin, degreasers and less commonly bleaches, dyes and toners (for dyed fur).
Workers exposed to fur dust created during fur processing have been shown to have reduced pulmonary function in direct proportion to their length of exposure.
In contrast, leather made from any animal hide involves removing the fur from the skin and using only the tanned skin. The use of wool involves shearing the animal's hair from the living animal, so that the wool can be regrown.
Fake fur or "faux fur" designates any synthetic material that attempts to mimic the appearance and feel of real fur.
The chemical treatment of fur to increase its felting quality is known as carroting, as the process tends to turn the tips of the fur a carrot orange color.
A furrier is a person who makes, repairs, alters, cleans, or otherwise deals in furs of animals.
Anti-fur campaigns - Anti-fur campaigns reached a peak in the 1980s and 1990s, with the participation of numerous celebrities. Fur clothing has become the focus of boycotts on the opinion that it is cruel and unnecessary. PETA and other animal rights organizations, celebrities, and animal rights ethicists, have called attention to fur farming. Whilst other organizations and celebrities have promoted the use of fur.
Animal rights advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and to the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms due to concerns about the animals suffering and death. They promote "alternatives" made from synthetics (oil-based) clothing.
Some animal rights groups have disrupted fur fashion shows with protests while others sponsor anti-fur poster contests and fashion shows featuring faux furs or other alternatives to fur clothing. These groups sponsor "Compassionate Fashion Day" on the third Saturday of August to promote their anti-fur message. Other groups participate in "Fur Free Friday", an event held annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) that occurs globally with the intent to bring the issue of fur to light through educational displays, protests and other methods of campaigning.
In Canada, opposition to the annual seal hunt is viewed as an anti-fur issue, although the Humane Society of the United States claims that its opposition is to "the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth."
IFAW, an anti-sealing group, claims that Canada has an "abysmal record of enforcement" of anti-cruelty laws surrounding the hunt although a Canadian government survey indicated that two-thirds of Canadians supported the hunting of seals if the regulations under Canadian law are enforced.
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in six countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia. Canada's largest market for seals is Norway (through GC Rieber AS).
Products from all marine mammals, even from non-threatened populations and regulated hunts, such as the Canadian seal hunt, are banned in the United States. August 2010 European Union ban on trade in seal products, from Canada.
Source
Statistics More than 50 million animals worldwide, including raccoon dogs, rabbits, foxes, mink, and chinchillas, are raised in cages and killed each year for their fur. Not only are cage-raised animals killed inhumanely, but they suffer from numerous physical and behavioral abnormalities induced by the stress of caging conditions. After spending their lives in squalid conditions, animals raised on fur farms are killed by cruel methods that preserve the pelt, such as gassing, neck-breaking, beaten to death or anal electrocution. Many are still alive while the skin is drawn from the body.
Number of Animals to Make a Fur Coat:
12-15 lynx
10-15 wolves or coyotes
15-20 foxes
60-80 minks
27-30 racoons
10-12 beavers
60-100 squirrels
Kopenhagen Fur - one of the world's largest fur auction houses Kopenhagen Fur (www.kopenhagenfur.com) is one of the world's largest fur auction houses and leading supplier of fur. Kopenhagen Fur's head office is located in Glostrup in Greater Copenhagen.
The company is a co-operative established by Danish fur farmers. Kopenhagen Fur is known for having some of the highest standards in the fur industry with a unique system of sorting that ensures the best fur quality in the world, making Kopenhagen Fur the most sought after brand of fur on the market.
Kopenhagen Fur meets with the international fur industry at five annual auctions, where the fur's current market value is set. The season begins in December with succeeding auctions in February, April, June and September.
Simply put, Kopenhagen Fur is the largest fur auction house in the world, with sales of around 18 million mink skins in addition to two million other skins, for example fox, swakara, chinchilla, seal, sable, rabbit and karakul furs.
On sale: Copenhagen Fur (world wide):
Current sales programme - Sales reports
Per month total offering
February. 2012:
Skins (number of killed animals): 4,989,855. Lots: 20,706. Show lots: 6,212
April. 2012:
Skins (number of killed animals): 5,234,975. Lots: 21,173. Show lots: 6,597
In this video you will see Erik Ugilt Hansen, President of Kopenhagen Fur, and Sander Jacobsen, Press Spokesman of Kopenhagen Fur being confronted by journalists, but they dont want to talk to the camera. The last footage of suffering animals, you see in this video, is from Erik Ugilt Hansens own farm - Please stop buying fur.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION - HEALTH & CONSUMER PROTECTION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL
The Welfare of Animals kept for Fur Production
Ms. Happiness for Kopenhagen Fur is Crowned 19 January 2012. Fashion & Lifestyle - At a big gala show in Beijing, more than 450 guests witnessed the thrilling competition that crowned 19- year-old Niu Wei Wei from Shenyang as the winner of the Ms Happiness Finale (wonder if there were some happy animals?). The event marked the beginning of a new and exciting year for Kopenhagen Fur and the fur industry as a whole in China.
The finale was the culmination of a 4-month long happiness- and marketing journey that Kopenhagen Fur has undertaken across China. The winner received 150.000 RMB, a model contract with Scoop Models and a happiness journey to Denmark where she will participate in Copenhagen Fashion Week for Kopenhagen Fur.
She will also work as the Kopenhagen Fur spokesperson in China in the coming year. Ms. Happiness2
The finale consisted of three sessions, catwalk, talent show and a "dialogue on happiness" with the judges. Personalizing their happy conception in fur, the contestants perfectly demonstrated the latest fur trends from Kopenhagen Fur's centre for creativity and innovation, Kopenhagen Studio. The girls' outstanding performances not only heated up the whole site, but also served as a grand kick-off for the coming year in the fur industry.
Ms. Bente Lundquist, head of the jury, president of Scoop Models and a former supermodel herself, was impressed with the contestants. "Many of the girls were very beautiful. For me, it is always great when I see so many beautiful girls. I believe that we found the right winner that truly has the potential to become an international name. She has very typical and beautiful Chinese eyes and cheeks and good measurement as a model."
It is the first time a foreign fashion company has selected a spokesperson through a nationwide campaign. A typical Danish company with an intrinsic drive to innovate, Kopenhagen Fur looks to communicate the Danish philosophy about happiness, unearth China's new fashion force, cultivate a Chinese international star through this campaign, and lay solid foundation for the development of a global fur industry in China.
Kenneth Loberg, CSO at Kopenhagen Fur believes that the campaign has been a great success: "Today I see myself as a Mr. happiness. This campaign has been such a great experience for us at Kopenhagen Fur.
The participants of Ms. Happiness competition have shown us a warmth and accommodation, that we usually only see in Scandinavia. This has been a experience full of learning for us and we are confident that we have found the perfect Ms Happiness - we look forward to having her as our spokesperson in the forthcoming year.
Kopenhagen Fur also set a "happy example" by raising RMB 300,000 at the finale for the "Operation Smile", which is initiated by Hong Kong charitable organizations to provide free surgeries to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children around the globe, bringing smiles back to their faces and forever changing their lives.
For Niu Wei Wei, an exciting future with lots of smiles and happiness awaits. In two weeks time, she will leave China for the first time in her life to journey to Denmark as a Kopenhagen Fur model at Copenhagen Fashion week.
From then onwards, she will be a rising star who spreads happiness and fashion for Kopenhagen Fur.
20 January 2012 - During the last two years Kopenhagen Fur has made manufacturers' agreements all over China, with great success for both parties - they say.
This video was taken at a fur farm in Kauhava, Finland - 2012. A few fur farms in the region had an open day and allowed visitors to have a look at the animals and even take pictures and videos. In a country where it's a criminal offence to have a dog or a cat locked up in a cage, these pups are made to live their entire miserable lives confined. These foxes you see have been slaughtered already and a fresh batch of animals have been bred for next year. Kopenhagen Fur - When you read on their website, it says that consumers started to demand animal (fur) welfare. Just that they have to appear in consumer preferences and give the European animals a barely noticeable improvement is in itself tragic. That people in this industry do not realize this by themselves without prompting from consumers, only shows even more the industry's insensitivity to animal suffering. Furthermore, on this page, you can read this following statement.......
Ethics: Fur farming does not differ from any other animal husbandry (?)
It is called to justify their own mistakes and to lie to themselves, to carry out animal cruelty with a good conscience. But we are many citizens who do not buy this embarrassing statement.
If the EU and Europe would do a survey and asked people if they wanted to abolish the fur farms and fur industry in the EU and Europe, the answer would be that probably 80% want it. This animal tormenting industry is a little mutual admiration society that is anchored and suck nourishment from old medieval values.
To make money on animal suffering, to something so complete unnecessary, should not exist in a modern society. If people want fur appearance, they can use fake fur. This is just about to fill some people pockets with money. It's looking more like the Dutch tulip syndrome, where fur has turned into a form of currency.
Why should these fur farms and commerce exist in the EU at all. We do not need fur for practical reasons anymore, but fur is just in fashion purposes. Do animals really have to suffer because people want to look nice? We're not neanthertalensis anymore - or are some still? Countries with fur farms and dealing in fur products and trading in Europe and the EU should be ashamed.
www.alibaba.com Hush little sweetie - we just want your fur - we do not care about your life. 'No imagination, no morals': Liz Jones's damning verdict on Kanye West's 'ghastly' fur-filled Paris show.
Unnecessary: A fur back pack, left, and right, crocodile skin used to trim a garment at the neck - Ghastly: Astrakhan, the 'fabric' used to create the vest, is made from the foetuses of lambs torn from their mother's wombs.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Kim Kardashian joined a fur-draped front row - though Liz says reality TV star Kim's presence only served to make the collection seem yet more trashy
Kanye West's gratuitous use of fur was likely sponsored by the U.S. fur industry, says Liz - read more here.
Newborn and Fetal Karakul Lambs Garments made from the pelts of newborn karakul lambs - often referred to as "Persian lamb," "karakul," and "astrakhan," - are a staple of the fur fashion world. So too are garments made of fetal karakul lambs (known as "broadtail"), which the fur industry claims are crafted from animals born prematurely due to accident or exposure. In March 2000, investigators with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) toured a karakul sheep farm near Bukhara, in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, and found that pregnant ewes are in fact routinely slaughtered for these fetal pelts.
Graphic videotape shot at the farm (below) shows a pregnant ewe held down, her throat slit and her stomach slashed wide so that a worker could remove the developing fetus - the "raw material" for coats, vests, and other broadtail fashions. What's more, contrary to the industry's claims that karakul lamb fur is merely a byproduct of meat production, HSUS investigators videotaped newborn lambs displayed as "samples" of pelt colors before being sent to their death. The pelts were saved, the tiny carcasses discarded as trash. Dogs killed for their pelts: The disturbing new trend that's disgracing the multi-billion dollar fashion industry.
This is a very good and informative movie that is not too hideous to see (the movie stops and you can hear some noise). Although the movie is from Australia, the movie demonstrates that even Europe certainly is guilty of the same thing, namely that the animals in China is tormented and killed to end up on the Europeans' clothes and shoes.
Fur clothing - Fur clothing is clothing made of the fur of animals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing; thought to have been widely used as hominids first expanded outside of Africa. Some view fur as luxurious and warm; others reject it due to moral beliefs. The term 'a fur' is often used to refer to a coat, wrap, or shawl made from the fur of animals.
History and use - Fur is generally thought to have been among the first materials used for clothing and bodily decoration. The exact date when fur was first used in clothing is debated. It is known that several species of hominoids including Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis used fur clothing.
Fur is still worn in most mild and cool climates around the world due to its superior warmth and durability. From the days of early European settlement, up until the development of modern clothing alternatives, fur clothing was popular in Canada during the cold winters. The invention of inexpensive synthetic textiles for insulating clothing led to fur clothing falling out of fashion.
Fur is still used by indigenous people and developed societies, due to its availability and superior insulation properties. The Inuit peoples of the Arctic relied on fur for most of their clothing, and it also forms a part of traditional Russian, Scandinavian and Japanese clothing.
It is also sometimes associated with glamour and lavish spending. A number of consumers and designers -- notably British fashion designer and outspoken animal rights activist Stella McCartney -- reject fur due to moral beliefs and perceived cruelty to animals.
Animal furs used in garments and trim may be dyed bright colors or with patterns, often to mimic exotic animal pelts: alternatively they may be left their original pattern and color. Fur may be shorn down to imitate the feel of velvet, creating a fabric called shearling.
Common animal sources for fur clothing and fur trimmed accessories include fox, rabbit, mink, beaver, stoat (ermine), otter, sable, seals, cats, dogs, coyotes, chinchilla, and possum. Some of these are more highly prized than others, and there are many grades and colors.
The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on. Depending on the type of fur and its purpose, some of the chemicals involved in fur processing are table salts, alum salts, acids, soda ash, sawdust, cornstarch, lanolin, degreasers and less commonly bleaches, dyes and toners (for dyed fur).
Workers exposed to fur dust created during fur processing have been shown to have reduced pulmonary function in direct proportion to their length of exposure.
In contrast, leather made from any animal hide involves removing the fur from the skin and using only the tanned skin. The use of wool involves shearing the animal's hair from the living animal, so that the wool can be regrown.
Fake fur or "faux fur" designates any synthetic material that attempts to mimic the appearance and feel of real fur.
The chemical treatment of fur to increase its felting quality is known as carroting, as the process tends to turn the tips of the fur a carrot orange color.
A furrier is a person who makes, repairs, alters, cleans, or otherwise deals in furs of animals.
Anti-fur campaigns - Anti-fur campaigns reached a peak in the 1980s and 1990s, with the participation of numerous celebrities. Fur clothing has become the focus of boycotts on the opinion that it is cruel and unnecessary. PETA and other animal rights organizations, celebrities, and animal rights ethicists, have called attention to fur farming. Whilst other organizations and celebrities have promoted the use of fur.
Animal rights advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and to the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms due to concerns about the animals suffering and death. They promote "alternatives" made from synthetics (oil-based) clothing.
Some animal rights groups have disrupted fur fashion shows with protests while others sponsor anti-fur poster contests and fashion shows featuring faux furs or other alternatives to fur clothing. These groups sponsor "Compassionate Fashion Day" on the third Saturday of August to promote their anti-fur message. Other groups participate in "Fur Free Friday", an event held annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) that occurs globally with the intent to bring the issue of fur to light through educational displays, protests and other methods of campaigning.
In Canada, opposition to the annual seal hunt is viewed as an anti-fur issue, although the Humane Society of the United States claims that its opposition is to "the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth."
IFAW, an anti-sealing group, claims that Canada has an "abysmal record of enforcement" of anti-cruelty laws surrounding the hunt although a Canadian government survey indicated that two-thirds of Canadians supported the hunting of seals if the regulations under Canadian law are enforced.
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in six countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia. Canada's largest market for seals is Norway (through GC Rieber AS).
Products from all marine mammals, even from non-threatened populations and regulated hunts, such as the Canadian seal hunt, are banned in the United States. August 2010 European Union ban on trade in seal products, from Canada.
Source
Statistics More than 50 million animals worldwide, including raccoon dogs, rabbits, foxes, mink, and chinchillas, are raised in cages and killed each year for their fur. Not only are cage-raised animals killed inhumanely, but they suffer from numerous physical and behavioral abnormalities induced by the stress of caging conditions. After spending their lives in squalid conditions, animals raised on fur farms are killed by cruel methods that preserve the pelt, such as gassing, neck-breaking, beaten to death or anal electrocution. Many are still alive while the skin is drawn from the body.
Number of Animals to Make a Fur Coat:
12-15 lynx
10-15 wolves or coyotes
15-20 foxes
60-80 minks
27-30 racoons
10-12 beavers
60-100 squirrels
Kopenhagen Fur - one of the world's largest fur auction houses Kopenhagen Fur (www.kopenhagenfur.com) is one of the world's largest fur auction houses and leading supplier of fur. Kopenhagen Fur's head office is located in Glostrup in Greater Copenhagen.
The company is a co-operative established by Danish fur farmers. Kopenhagen Fur is known for having some of the highest standards in the fur industry with a unique system of sorting that ensures the best fur quality in the world, making Kopenhagen Fur the most sought after brand of fur on the market.
Kopenhagen Fur meets with the international fur industry at five annual auctions, where the fur's current market value is set. The season begins in December with succeeding auctions in February, April, June and September.
Simply put, Kopenhagen Fur is the largest fur auction house in the world, with sales of around 18 million mink skins in addition to two million other skins, for example fox, swakara, chinchilla, seal, sable, rabbit and karakul furs.
On sale: Copenhagen Fur (world wide):
Current sales programme - Sales reports
Per month total offering
February. 2012:
Skins (number of killed animals): 4,989,855. Lots: 20,706. Show lots: 6,212
April. 2012:
Skins (number of killed animals): 5,234,975. Lots: 21,173. Show lots: 6,597
In this video you will see Erik Ugilt Hansen, President of Kopenhagen Fur, and Sander Jacobsen, Press Spokesman of Kopenhagen Fur being confronted by journalists, but they dont want to talk to the camera. The last footage of suffering animals, you see in this video, is from Erik Ugilt Hansens own farm - Please stop buying fur.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION - HEALTH & CONSUMER PROTECTION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL
The Welfare of Animals kept for Fur Production
Ms. Happiness for Kopenhagen Fur is Crowned 19 January 2012. Fashion & Lifestyle - At a big gala show in Beijing, more than 450 guests witnessed the thrilling competition that crowned 19- year-old Niu Wei Wei from Shenyang as the winner of the Ms Happiness Finale (wonder if there were some happy animals?). The event marked the beginning of a new and exciting year for Kopenhagen Fur and the fur industry as a whole in China.
The finale was the culmination of a 4-month long happiness- and marketing journey that Kopenhagen Fur has undertaken across China. The winner received 150.000 RMB, a model contract with Scoop Models and a happiness journey to Denmark where she will participate in Copenhagen Fashion Week for Kopenhagen Fur.
She will also work as the Kopenhagen Fur spokesperson in China in the coming year. Ms. Happiness2
The finale consisted of three sessions, catwalk, talent show and a "dialogue on happiness" with the judges. Personalizing their happy conception in fur, the contestants perfectly demonstrated the latest fur trends from Kopenhagen Fur's centre for creativity and innovation, Kopenhagen Studio. The girls' outstanding performances not only heated up the whole site, but also served as a grand kick-off for the coming year in the fur industry.
Ms. Bente Lundquist, head of the jury, president of Scoop Models and a former supermodel herself, was impressed with the contestants. "Many of the girls were very beautiful. For me, it is always great when I see so many beautiful girls. I believe that we found the right winner that truly has the potential to become an international name. She has very typical and beautiful Chinese eyes and cheeks and good measurement as a model."
It is the first time a foreign fashion company has selected a spokesperson through a nationwide campaign. A typical Danish company with an intrinsic drive to innovate, Kopenhagen Fur looks to communicate the Danish philosophy about happiness, unearth China's new fashion force, cultivate a Chinese international star through this campaign, and lay solid foundation for the development of a global fur industry in China.
Kenneth Loberg, CSO at Kopenhagen Fur believes that the campaign has been a great success: "Today I see myself as a Mr. happiness. This campaign has been such a great experience for us at Kopenhagen Fur.
The participants of Ms. Happiness competition have shown us a warmth and accommodation, that we usually only see in Scandinavia. This has been a experience full of learning for us and we are confident that we have found the perfect Ms Happiness - we look forward to having her as our spokesperson in the forthcoming year.
Kopenhagen Fur also set a "happy example" by raising RMB 300,000 at the finale for the "Operation Smile", which is initiated by Hong Kong charitable organizations to provide free surgeries to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children around the globe, bringing smiles back to their faces and forever changing their lives.
For Niu Wei Wei, an exciting future with lots of smiles and happiness awaits. In two weeks time, she will leave China for the first time in her life to journey to Denmark as a Kopenhagen Fur model at Copenhagen Fashion week.
From then onwards, she will be a rising star who spreads happiness and fashion for Kopenhagen Fur.
20 January 2012 - During the last two years Kopenhagen Fur has made manufacturers' agreements all over China, with great success for both parties - they say.
This video was taken at a fur farm in Kauhava, Finland - 2012. A few fur farms in the region had an open day and allowed visitors to have a look at the animals and even take pictures and videos. In a country where it's a criminal offence to have a dog or a cat locked up in a cage, these pups are made to live their entire miserable lives confined. These foxes you see have been slaughtered already and a fresh batch of animals have been bred for next year. Kopenhagen Fur - When you read on their website, it says that consumers started to demand animal (fur) welfare. Just that they have to appear in consumer preferences and give the European animals a barely noticeable improvement is in itself tragic. That people in this industry do not realize this by themselves without prompting from consumers, only shows even more the industry's insensitivity to animal suffering. Furthermore, on this page, you can read this following statement.......
Ethics: Fur farming does not differ from any other animal husbandry (?)
It is called to justify their own mistakes and to lie to themselves, to carry out animal cruelty with a good conscience. But we are many citizens who do not buy this embarrassing statement.
If the EU and Europe would do a survey and asked people if they wanted to abolish the fur farms and fur industry in the EU and Europe, the answer would be that probably 80% want it. This animal tormenting industry is a little mutual admiration society that is anchored and suck nourishment from old medieval values.
To make money on animal suffering, to something so complete unnecessary, should not exist in a modern society. If people want fur appearance, they can use fake fur. This is just about to fill some people pockets with money. It's looking more like the Dutch tulip syndrome, where fur has turned into a form of currency.
Why should these fur farms and commerce exist in the EU at all. We do not need fur for practical reasons anymore, but fur is just in fashion purposes. Do animals really have to suffer because people want to look nice? We're not neanthertalensis anymore - or are some still? Countries with fur farms and dealing in fur products and trading in Europe and the EU should be ashamed.
www.alibaba.com Hush little sweetie - we just want your fur - we do not care about your life. 'No imagination, no morals': Liz Jones's damning verdict on Kanye West's 'ghastly' fur-filled Paris show.
Unnecessary: A fur back pack, left, and right, crocodile skin used to trim a garment at the neck - Ghastly: Astrakhan, the 'fabric' used to create the vest, is made from the foetuses of lambs torn from their mother's wombs.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Kim Kardashian joined a fur-draped front row - though Liz says reality TV star Kim's presence only served to make the collection seem yet more trashy
Kanye West's gratuitous use of fur was likely sponsored by the U.S. fur industry, says Liz - read more here.
Newborn and Fetal Karakul Lambs Garments made from the pelts of newborn karakul lambs - often referred to as "Persian lamb," "karakul," and "astrakhan," - are a staple of the fur fashion world. So too are garments made of fetal karakul lambs (known as "broadtail"), which the fur industry claims are crafted from animals born prematurely due to accident or exposure. In March 2000, investigators with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) toured a karakul sheep farm near Bukhara, in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, and found that pregnant ewes are in fact routinely slaughtered for these fetal pelts.
Graphic videotape shot at the farm (below) shows a pregnant ewe held down, her throat slit and her stomach slashed wide so that a worker could remove the developing fetus - the "raw material" for coats, vests, and other broadtail fashions. What's more, contrary to the industry's claims that karakul lamb fur is merely a byproduct of meat production, HSUS investigators videotaped newborn lambs displayed as "samples" of pelt colors before being sent to their death. The pelts were saved, the tiny carcasses discarded as trash. Dogs killed for their pelts: The disturbing new trend that's disgracing the multi-billion dollar fashion industry.
This is a very good and informative movie that is not too hideous to see (the movie stops and you can hear some noise). Although the movie is from Australia, the movie demonstrates that even Europe certainly is guilty of the same thing, namely that the animals in China is tormented and killed to end up on the Europeans' clothes and shoes.