Fur - the natural, responsible choice

Recent subzero temperatures have brought a flood of fur onto the streets. Are attitudes changing toward the trade? As temperatures dropped last month and the snow kept falling, I started noticing fur coats in my neighbourhood.Clearly, it's not just a localised trend, because you'll observe a similar look elsewhere. Whatever one's view on the rights and wrongs of wearing fur, there seems to have been an unspoken message in the last six or eight weeks that second-hand fur is becoming acceptable in cold weather. For this you can probably blame Kate Moss, who has been out and about in vintage fur, wearing it with the rock and roll insouciance for which she is famous. In doing so, she looks entirely different to a wealthy Milanese matron in a new mink; more like Venus in furs, quite possibly with very little on underneath.

Almost 400 national and international designers including Diane von Furstenberg, Yves Saint Laurent and Roberto Cavalli currently use fur in their collections. Stylish furs are now a key element in fashion more than ever. This is evident from the recent fashion weeks in London, New York, Milan and Paris.