by Omima Elmattawaa and Rachel Garner
For as long as we can remember fur has been worn by the most glamorous ladies of all time and has been desired as much as diamonds and pearls. However, the debate on the use of fur within the fashion industry has been a hot topic of controversy.
Over recent years, the sale of fur by several high-end brands has been stopped, as they succumb to the pressure of animal rights organisations such as PETA, who frequently campaign against the use of fur, as well as pressure from much of the general public.
While fur has always been viewed as an item of luxury aimed at the upper classes, the luxury brand Gucci recently announced that they would be dropping fur in order to show their commitment to sustainability – a step in which many are hoping will be followed by other big name brands.
This follows clothing companies such as Ralph Lauren, BCBG and Armani who have stopped using fur in their products. Stella McCartney created her brand based around using substitutes as she is strongly against the use of genuine leather.
Krasimira Stoyneva is a UK-based Bulgarian fashion designer who strongly believes in the use of alternative fabrics. Her eponymous brand was established in 2014 and is composed of jackets, skirts and other pieces using synthetic hair, a material which she strongly believes has the potential to become a mainstream fabric.
While fur farming has not been legal in the UK since 2000, importing fur from abroad is still very much legal – and it’s women like Krasimira who believe strongly in alternatives.
In fact, her motto of sorts is, ‘Wear Hair, Not Fur’, as she boldly states on her website: “My aim is to make an ultimate luxury alternative to fur by using synthetic hair. I believe that hair with all its potential will become new material to be used within the fashion industry. I would love to be one of the pioneers that made that possible.”
Becoming a trademark for her brand, her designs include a colourful and creative range of clothing – something she is becoming well recognized for. She hopes that synthetic materials such as hair will be used by other brands in the future, following her lead.
Featured image courtesy of Krasimira Stoyneva