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Fur-coats: the divisive must-have for Russian women
Published: 05 January, 2010, 09:07
Edited: 17 September, 2010, 23:52
TAGS: Animals, Ecology, Russia, Lifestyle
Regardless of how cold it gets, the streets of Russian cities in winter are reminiscent of a fur fashion catwalk, with a kaleidoscope of women in pelts of all sizes, colors and designs.
Despite the financial crisis, and an increasingly vocal animal-rights movement, there are no signs that the nation's women are ending their pursuit of luxury.
A fur coat for a Russian woman is akin to a baptism: you are not a woman unless you have a mink pelt hanging in your closet.
Event coordinator Lyudmila Andronova says she is not a fashion victim. She is just a lover of fur. And, like tens of thousands of Russian women, she claims to have her own sound reasons.
“It’s 100% an element of prestige, because even though a fur coat keeps you warm, first and foremost it opens doors to nice places, and that’s why many women in Russia wear them,” Lyudmila is convinced.
Although recent winters have not been that cold, fur sales have not suffered from the lack of snow – even though they did dip due to the unfavorable financial forecast. If you travel on the Moscow Metro, you will find it hard to believe women there are feeling the credit crunch. Pelt, after pelt, after pelt – fur coats are everywhere.
Animal rights activists are not happy with the situation:
“People don’t care about the animals that were killed. This comes from our socialite figures who wear furs, and people want to follow their example in order to get closer to the so-called upper class,” says Svetlana Gerasimova, coordinator of the Center for Animal Protection “Vita”. “If public personas brought animal welfare up, I’m sure people would listen, but no one does.”
However, Helen Yarmak, head of a fur fashion house, does not see anything wrong with building an empire on animal pelts.
“Animal rights activists simply have too much free time on their hands, and no way to get noticed besides scandalous situations. For some reason, they’re not against hunting, they’re against fur. I guess some people choose to love humans, and others choose to love animals,” Helen believes.
That is an opinion many Russian women support. They just have to have their pelts, and environmental and ethical concerns are far from their minds in their quest to at least give the appearance of high status.
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3 comments
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OK, so you guys love doing stories on Chinese killing and using animal parts in traditional chinese medicine and leave no stone unturned in vilifying east asian nations continuing their ritualistic practices. But when it comes to Russia, nothing else matters but fur!! Incredible, duplicity is the core of your armchaired journalism. Its time Russian women get the fuzz out of their brain and the fur off their hangars.
if one considers conservation as a goal, and if one has that in mind; it is a worthwhile effort to harvest the animals and help those that do the work to produce these garments. it takes skill. as long as the animals are harvested cleanly as they obviously are, and the workers are appropriately paid, why is there a problem? people wear leather, eat meat, and use other resources. man has dominion over the animals. it is our responsibility to preserve and protect them for the best use.
Here is something for all you Animal Rights and Activists to think about as you are so passionate about cruelty to animals and so forth.Look at what you are wearing and also what you have in your closet and in your home and car. Do you have a leather belt, shoes or handbag? Does your car have leather seats? Do you have a leather purse or wallet? Do you eat meat in any form? Do you own a horse and have a saddle and bridle? Do you have leather gloves or a leather coat... maybe even a sheepskin one?If you answered YES to any of these questions ... then leave your hypocritical comments at the door and say no more EVER. All leather is, is the skin with the fur taken off!!!