Will Animal Fur Come Out Of Fashion And Will The Next Feather Product Be?

?

As countries and luxury brands announced the ban on the use of fur products, the fashion and humanitarian war continued.

Over the past few years, luxury companies and animal protectionists have opened a protracted war on animal fur.

Recently, animal protectionists who have won the stage victory in this war seem to have found a new target -- animal feather products.

Feathers have been used for clothing for a long time.

In ancient China, Tang Zhaoceng had recorded that the princess Tang Zhongzong had captured hundreds of birds and made two expensive bird feathers.

In 2017, on the stage of Chanel spring and summer, the evening dress with feather decorations also became the finishing touch of the series.

Feather is usually considered a lightweight animal by-product compared with fur.

The feather products in the fashion industry, including down garments, feather decorations and so on, are mostly from poultry, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and hairy coloured pheasants. When they are used, they are usually chemically treated and dyed.

But there are also some feathers that do not belong to animal by-products, such as all kinds of birds with colorful feathers.

For them, feathers are used for production, though they do not directly lead to death, but there is no suitable way to pick animal feathers. In the process of "plucking" them, it is inevitable that they will be injured or even indirectly killed.

According to fashionunited, although the EU law expressly states that live pluck feathers are prohibited, it is also pointed out that feathering is a legal category during natural bird molting cycles.

However, most of the time, because it is impossible to define whether feathers are within the scope of the law, these legal provisions have not only reduced the degree of bird injury, but stimulated the feathers.

Industrial consumption.

"Feathers are not acquired by humans in accordance with humanitarianism. They may come from birds killed by fear.

It also includes down products. Many farmers gain extra profits by selling animal feathers, and buying feathers to some extent is equivalent to supporting animal cruelty. "

PETA, an animal rights group with over 6 million members, told fashionunited.

Chanel 2017 high spring and summer show

A feather industry video released by the group in 2017 shows that many farmers in China are plowing feathers from live birds, which is almost 80% of the feather industry in the feather making industry.

about

In terms of industry, it meets consumers' standards for down products, but in fact, it completely violates humanitarianism.

Nevertheless, for the time being, we can find the replacement of feather products, especially down garments.

It's not as simple as making artificial fur.

In particular, brands like feather Canada products such as Canada goose and Moncler are less likely to change their traditional ski jacket easily.

In order to better regulate feather products,

The industry began to praise the eiderdown of Responsible Down Standard (hereinafter referred to as RDS). This certification standard was set up by the global nonprofit organization, the textile exchange, which has been committed to the sustainable development of clothing and textiles. It can ensure the traceability of feather products and avoid barbaric captive animals in order to get feathers through the information of logging animals. In 2015, SALEWA introduced the products that were completely certified by RDS.

In addition, some brands are gradually looking for alternative materials for decorative feathers, often used for cocktail skirts, bags and accessories.

Stephen Jones, a designer who made hat for Dior, said that although he had always used animal feathers to make hats, he was also looking for artificial materials such as plastics, polyester fibers, foams and gauze as substitutes.

In other words, as long as farmers, designers, retailers, business groups and supply chain members can choose to respect animal rights, the supply chain of feather industry can be traced back.

However, this does not mean that feather clothing is not harmful to animals. How to maintain the balance between production value and humanitarianism needs these brands to think more seriously. Otherwise, it is hard to say whether feathers will become the second "animal fur" of the fashion industry.