Welcome, the site dedicated to fashion and lifestyle, where you will always find useful advice and insights into the world of fashion and the latest trends. For today’s post we want to talk to you about an item of clothing (or rather outerwear) that has returned to the fore again after a few years of oblivion: we are talking about fur , which has become a real must-have of the season, much better if ecological.

Let’s see together the origins and history of this famous garment, typical of the winter season, and the most popular models in this cold season.

Origins and history of fur

Fur is an item of clothing that has very ancient origins. In fact, since prehistoric times, men and women wore animal skins to protect themselves from the cold.

Over time, the need to cover up to avoid frost is associated with the concept of beauty and even mystical.

In fact, in ancient times the Greeks attributed the tradition of wearing furs to the Greek gods. According to the tales of the ancients, Heracles (for the Romans Hercules), son of Zeus and Alcmena, is covered with lion skin, Dionysus with fawn skin and Zeus and Athena with goat skin.

Men remain faithful, even in more recent times, to the ancient custom of dressing in animal skins. And many still wear fur today, some for tradition, some for fashion.

Over the years, fur has become an increasingly popular garment, especially in the wealthiest social classes because it represents luxury and elegance.

In recent years, however, this fashion of wearing fur has been harshly criticized by public opinion and animal rights movements, for the practice of killing poor defenseless animals only for the fashion of the moment. From this point of view, fortunately, progress has come our way, thanks to the production of ecological furs.

The alternatives to animal fur

The fur, in the past, was made as already mentioned above, from the processing of animal skin, in particular the mink, the chinchilla, the fox. But over the years, fortunately, this practice has decreased more and more, up to the processing of synthetic or ecological fur.

The term “ecological fur” indicates a fabric that is similar to animal fur, but which unlike the latter is produced with natural (cotton), artificial (viscose) and synthetic (acrylic and modacrylic) fibers. This garment is colored and printed to resemble animal coats as much as possible and fantasy colors are used that follow the fashion trends dictated by the most famous fashion houses and stylists.

If the fur is made of cotton it can be called ecological. If instead derived from synthetic materials it is in this case the synthetic fur . These two types of fur were born in the 60s with the aim of replacing animal furs.

There are several reasons related to this historic decision:

  • The first is certainly of a moral nature , due to the conditions in which animals subjected to this barbaric practice are treated. The aim is above all to strongly condemn the hunting of wild species;
  • Secondly, the processing of fur of animal origin has a strong impact on the environment and causes severe pollution;

In addition to the two already mentioned, we also have a third reason, of an economic nature, because synthetic or ecological furs are much more accessible than those of animal origin.

In Italy, the use of synthetic or ecological materials began around 1963 for the manufacture of clothing, bags and footwear. Quickly, this variant spread among adult women as well as younger women.

To date, fur is one of the most used outerwear in the cold season , elegant but at the same time very versatile as well as extremely comfortable.

Useful tips for choosing the most suitable fur

First of all, it is important to choose the color, pattern and model that you prefer.

As you already know, there are different patterns associated with furs: we have spotted, zebra, leopard and so on. As for the colors and models, there is really a wide choice. You can opt for a longer and more elegant model, or a shorter and more casual model.

Usually, even today, some more luxurious and prestigious fashion houses do not produce ecological or synthetic furs but continue to make animal ones. Reason why, if you want to buy the ecological or synthetic variant, it is better to opt for brands such as Zara, Mango, Dorothy Perkins, ONLY, Urban Classics, Asos and many others.

For a more casual look , the short variant is certainly more suitable, perhaps with a zip. If your intent is to be super elegant and refined, it is better to go for long and open fur.

For the choice of color, if you do not want to go unnoticed, the coolest pattern at the moment is certainly the zebra or leopard print, also worn by numerous influencers.