The Fur Trade Is Booming. Author: Byfield, Mike Add.Author / Editor: Byfield, Mike Citation: Report / Newsmagazine (BC Edition) 09/11/2000, Vol
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Title: The fur trade is booming. Author: Byfield, Mike Add.Author / Editor: Byfield, Mike Citation: Report / Newsmagazine (BC Edition) 09/11/2000, Vol. 27 Issue 9, p29 Year: 2000 Abstract: Reports on the popularity of fur in the fashion industry as of September 2000. Anti-fur protests by animal rights activists and motion picture stars in the 1980s; Continued protests by Courtney Love and Pamela Anderson Lee, who was honored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA); Popular trends in fur from Canadian designers Zuki and Paula Lishman. Section: Economics Style THE FUR TRADE IS BOOMING Innovative designers have helped save Canada's oldest industry Fashion designers, in their relentless hunt for innovative fabrics, have rediscovered a natural fibre with an astonishing range of textures. "For the past two years, fur has been the world's number one fashion story," comments Gwen Nacos, who runs the Montreal-based manufacturer Natural Furs International Inc. First came fur trims married to silks and other fine materials. When outright opulence entranced couturiers in 1996 and 1997, more fur began moving through upscale boutiques. The trend has since reached the mainstream. Significant quantities of fur are selling for the first time in regular retail outlets as well as the traditional fur stores and departments. American fur retailers report that during 1999 their sales jumped more than 15% to US$1.4 billion, the highest level in a decade. During the 1980s, animal rights enthusiasts threw paint on befurred ladies, a crusade endorsed by Hollywood stars as enthusiastically as AIDS and global warming. But many celebs now accept nature's life-and- death cycle more readily, or have become bored by this aging cause. Public personalities willing to encase themselves in the attractive skins of flayed animals include, among many others, Marisa Berenson, Heather Locklear, Miss Universe Mpule Kwelagobe, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Lisa Marie Presley, Gillian Anderson, Nicole Kidman, Angelica Huston, Sigourney Weaver, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Hurley, Ashley Judd, Demi Moore and Winona Ryder. Of course, the anti-fur movement is not dead. Courtney Love wrote a furious letter when a photograph of her in fur was published in Harper's Bazaar; photo notwithstanding, the actress claimed that fur- wearers are "stupid." Another holdout is Pamela Anderson Lee, recently honored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). This bodacious former Vancouver resident is a fashion minimalist. She was originally "discovered" running downfield at a B.C. Lions game wearing a Labatt's Beer T-shirt, then appeared nude no less than five times in Playboy, and starred in the bikinied television series Baywatch. At the PETA awards broadcast on MTV, Ms. Lee wore a large pink marabou feather hat, presumably on the understanding that birds do not count as animals. Two popular trends which helped revive fur came from Canadian designers. Zuki of Montreal has used different dyed pieces of sheared beaver sewn together to form designs, flowers and graphics. His latest wearable works of art tend to be more subtle: for instance, a tangerine mohair coat with mauve and tangerine-shaded finnraccoon glowing enticingly. Equally prominent is Paula Lishman, based in Blackstock, Ont. Nicknamed the beaver weaver, she invented a fur- knitting process which is being widely copied now that her Canadian patent has expired. "Today's designers strive to create pieces that are fun, smaller and more convenient to wear," says Teresa Eloy, a spokeswoman for the Montreal-based Fur Council of Canada. Fur is more than fun for the 80,000 Canadians whose work generates about $800 million per year. Furthermore, the classic fur coat is still the industry's staple item, particularly in East Asia. Prices of raw pelts turned down dramatically in 1998, mainly due to the collapse of Asian economies, but are in strong recovery thanks in part to those same markets. With Canadian trapping methods now approved by the European Community and animal rights activists focusing their attention on biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, Canada's oldest commercial enterprise has reason to hope for a long- lived future. .