You know that adorable, diminutive bear cub you see in pictures? Well, imagine that same bear cub murdered, stripped of its fur, and put on someone else’s clothes. All of this just to make a fashion statement. That image is disturbing. There are so many different ways to make a fashion statement, so why choose this way?

Yes, it may look “cool”, “innovative”, and “timeless”. But, how about considering faux fur? It’s the same look, yet it doesn’t harm animals. If you’re worried about somebody calling you “fake”, no one has to know it’s not real.

When you watch people protesting at certain fashion shows you may think, “who are those crazy, psycho people?” Yet the thing is, they aren’t crazy or even psycho. These protestors are role-models. They show you that if you believe in a cause, and you want to do something about your cause, there’s nothing stopping you. These protestors believe in not using fur for clothes, so they’re trying to do something about it. You want your voice to be heard? Well, so do the protestors! They want people to stop this act of murder for fashion, and would like others to join the cause.

Do you have a favorite designer? I’m sure you do. But, if you’ve ever seen some of their fashions with fur you may assume it’s fake. If Gucci, Prada, Versace, or Sean John is your favorite, then the fur is real! If Ralph Lauren, Hollister, American Eagle, or Banana Republic is your favorite, then it is fake! In spring 2008, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein are going to stop using real fur in their fashion designs. In addition, these designers will also take any of their garments made with fur off the market.

Many fashion forward consumers love the designer, Sean John. Yes, he’s a pretty good fashion designer, but he’s a good designer with controversial products. In 2006, Macy’s pulled from its shelves two styles of John’s hooded jackets. These jackets were advertised as faux fur, but when an animal protection organization investigated, it found out differently. The organization found that not only was there fur in the hoods of the jackets, the fur was from a type of dog called a “raccoon dog”. Sean said, “I had no recollection of the real fur.” Fashion designers just aren’t paying enough attention to the fur trim they are using on their garments.

I hope you feel the same way about this issue as I do. If you don’t, I hope you will reconsider after pondering the fact that animals are simply being murdered for the sake of fashion. There are many ways to help stop this unnecessary killing of animals. Don’t buy clothes made from real fur; this is an obvious step. Another step is to not buy any clothes, period, from the designers who use real fur; therefore, the designers’ sales decline and profits drop. This would be an incentive for designers to stop using real fur. So, please help this cause. Animals are just waiting to be saved!