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Coypu jacket, reversible (2008)

A French-Canadian man wearing a fur coat and hat around 1910.

Fur clothing is clothing made of furry animal hides. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing; thought to have been widely used as hominids first expanded outside of Africa. Some view fur as luxurious and warm; others reject it due to moral beliefs. The term 'a fur' is often used to refer to a coat, wrap, or shawl made from the fur of animals.

History and use[link]

Wholesale dealer (Leipzig, c. 1900)

Fur sewing machine Success from "Allbook & Hashfield", Nottingham, England

Fur is generally thought to have been among the first materials used for clothing and bodily decoration. The exact date when fur was first used in clothing is debated. It is known that several species of hominoids including Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis used fur clothing.

Fur is still worn in most mild and cool climates around the world due to its superior warmth and durability. From the days of early European settlement, up until the development of modern clothing alternatives, fur clothing was popular in Canada during the cold winters. The invention of inexpensive synthetic textiles for insulating clothing led to fur clothing falling out of fashion.

Fur is still used by indigenous people and developed societies, due to its availability and superior insulation properties. The Inuit peoples of the Arctic relied on fur for most of their clothing, and it also forms a part of traditional Russian, Scandinavian and Japanese clothing.

It is also sometimes associated with glamour and lavish spending. A number of consumers and designers -- notably British fashion designer and outspoken animal rights activist Stella McCartney -- reject fur due to moral beliefs and perceived cruelty to animals.^[1]

Animal furs used in garments and trim may be dyed bright colors or with patterns, often to mimic exotic animal pelts: alternatively they may be left their original pattern and color. Fur may be shorn down to imitate the feel of velvet, creating a fabric called shearling.

Sources[link]

Common animal sources for fur clothing and fur trimmed accessories include fox, rabbit, mink, beaver, stoat (ermine), otter, sable, seals, cats, dogs, coyotes, chinchilla, and possum.^[2] Some of these are more highly prized than others, and there are many grades and colors.

Processing of fur[link]

Traditional Sami fur footwear

The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on. Depending on the type of fur and its purpose, some of the chemicals involved in fur processing are table salts, alum salts, acids, soda ash, sawdust, cornstarch, lanolin, degreasers and less commonly bleaches, dyes and toners (for dyed fur)^[3] Workers exposed to fur dust created during fur processing have been shown to have reduced pulmonary function in direct proportion to their length of exposure.^[4]

In contrast, leather made from any animal hide involves removing the fur from the skin and using only the tanned skin. The use of wool involves shearing the animal's hair from the living animal, so that the wool can be regrown. Fake fur or "faux fur" designates any synthetic material that attempts to mimic the appearance and feel of real fur.

The chemical treatment of fur to increase its felting quality is known as carroting, as the process tends to turn the tips of the fur a carrot orange color.

A furrier is a person who makes, repairs, alters, cleans, or otherwise deals in furs of animals.

Anti-fur campaigns[link]

Anti-fur activists approach fur clothing wearers with a sign reading 'Attention! Skin of tortured animals'

Anti-fur campaigns reached a peak in the 1980s and 1990s, with the participation of numerous celebrities.^[5] Fur clothing has become the focus of boycotts on the opinion that it is cruel and unnecessary. PETA and other animal rights organizations, celebrities, and animal rights ethicists, have called attention to fur farming. Whilst other organizations and celebrities have promoted the use of fur.

Animal rights advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and to the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms due to concerns about the animals suffering and death. They promote "alternatives" made from synthetics (oil-based) clothing.

Some animal rights groups have disrupted fur fashion shows with protests while others sponsor anti-fur poster contests and fashion shows featuring faux furs or other alternatives to fur clothing. These groups sponsor "Compassionate Fashion Day" on the third Saturday of August to promote their anti-fur message. Other groups participate in "Fur Free Friday", an event held annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) that occurs globally with the intent to bring the issue of fur to light through educational displays, protests and other methods of campaigning.

In Canada, opposition to the annual seal hunt is viewed as an anti-fur issue, although the Humane Society of the United States claims that its opposition is to "the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth."^[6] IFAW, an anti-sealing group, claims that Canada has an "abysmal record of enforcement" of anti-cruelty laws surrounding the hunt^[7] although a Canadian government survey^[8] indicated that two-thirds of Canadians supported the hunting of seals if the regulations under Canadian law are enforced.

Products from all marine mammals, even from non-threatened populations and regulated hunts, such as the Canadian seal hunt, are banned in the United States.^[9]

Fur trade[link]

The fur trade is the worldwide buying and selling of fur for clothing and other purposes. The fur trade was one of the driving forces of exploration of North America and the Russian Far East.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fur garments

References[link]

Tory Burch
Burch in India
Born	(1966-06-17) June 17, 1966 (age 46) Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, United States
Residence	New York, New York
Nationality	American
Education	University of Pennsylvania
Occupation	Fashion designer
Known for	Bohemian chic accessories
Awards	2005 Rising Star, Fashion Group International; 2007 brand launch award, Accessories Council of Excellence; CFDA Accessories Designer of the Year, 2008
Labels	Tory Burch

Tory Burch (born June 17, 1966; née Robinson) is an American fashion designer, business woman and philanthropist who was born, raised and educated in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

She attended the Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, PA, and the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. After graduation, she moved to New York City, where she began a career working with fashion designers, including Zoran, a Yugoslavian designer.^[1] She worked at Harper's Bazaar magazine.^[1][2] She was a copywriter for Polo Ralph Lauren and worked for Vera Wang.

She began a fashion label in February 2004. The label was an immediate success and was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey the following year. The label has stores in several large American cities and has lines that are sold in several upscale specialty department stores. Burch has won several fashion awards for her designs. The company has since grown to 36 stores, four of which are outlet stores in Woodbury Commons, NY; San Marcos, TX; Camarillo, CA; and Orlando, FL Premium Outlets. Her fashion label known as "TRB by Tory Burch"—later as "Tory Burch"—began as a business operation in her Upper East Side apartment and quickly blossomed into free-standing boutiques,^[3] now numbering 68.^[4] In February 2004, Tory Burch opened a flagship store in the NoLIta neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City.^[5][6] The store was almost completely sold out on the first day.^[6] Stories about her and her fashion line have been in a broad spectrum of magazines and newspapers,^[7] and in April 2005, Winfrey endorsed her line on The Oprah Winfrey Show.^[3]

Personal life[link]

Born in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania,^[5] Burch was raised with her three brothers (Robert, James and Leonard) ^[8] in a Valley Forge farmhouse where her mother, Reva Robinson, still lived in 2008.^[9] The house is a 250-year old Georgian near the Valley Forge National Historical Park.^[1] Her mother is a former actress who dated Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando.^[1] Her father, Buddy Robinson, who was a wealthy investor, is now deceased.^[9] Her father inherited a stock exchange seat and a paper cup company. He dated Grace Kelly and Joan Bennett.^[1] Tory's father was fourteen years older than her mother.^[1] Burch is ethnically half Jewish from her mother's side.^[10]

Burch in Porto Ercole, Italy, wearing a Tory Burch tunic

Tory served as captain of the tennis team and rode horses while at the Agnes Irwin School.^[1] Tory attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She majored in art history, and graduated in 1988.^[1]

In 1993, she married William Macklowe, son of real-estate tycoon Harry B. Macklowe.^[11] They divorced within a year.^[12] In 1997 she married Christopher Burch,^[9] an investor in Internet Capital Group, a venture capital firm founded by Walter Buckley and Ken Fox. They had three children: twins Henry and Nick (b. 1997) and Sawyer (b. 2001). They divorced in 2001.^[13] Burch also has three stepdaughters from her marriage to Christopher Burch: Alexandra, Elizabeth, and Louisa.^[9]

She dated Lance Armstrong in 2007^[14][15] and more recently, she has been linked to Lyor Cohen.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Business[link]

Shoe with Tory Burch medallion

Her company produces caftans, sequined cardigans, tunics, children's swimwear, jewelry, handbags, shoes, and sunglasses.^[3] The style has been described as Preppy-boho and Preppy-bohemian luxe.^[3] Some select styles of sunglasses, such as the Rounded Aviator, have the signature logo printed on the lens.^[5] Her styles are popular with the viewers and fans of the television show Gossip Girl, which they often appear on,^[20] and her style transcends generations.^[21] Her style is known for being easy to wear.^[2][22] In 2007, there were wait lists to buy her fashions,^[23] which are hallmark representations of and homages to 1950s and 1960s fashions.^[1][24] Her fashions are known for including her T-logo medallion.^[2] Her clothing is versatile enough to be part of the wardrobe of a clientele ranging from working women and soccer moms to socialites and wealthy women.^[1][25] Burch named her popular line of Reva ballerina flats after her mother.^[1] Burch is known as one of the leaders in turning the t-shirt into a fashion item.^[26]

In 2008, she beat Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors for the Council of Fashion Designers of America, as the accessories designer of the year.^[27] In 2007, she won the Accessory Brand Launch of the year award from the Accessories Council of Excellence.^[5][28] In 2005, she won Rising Star Award to Burch for best new Retail Concept from the Fashion Group International.^[5]

In 2009, Burch appeared in the fourth episode of Gossip Girl season three as herself.^[29]

Burch at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

As of April 2012, there were 68 Tory Burch stores worldwide, 48 in the US and 20 internationally.^[30] Her fashion line is carried at over 1,000 department and specialty stores worldwide,^[31] including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus^[32] Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's.^[33] In 2009, Tory Burch sold a minority stake in her company to a Mexican private equity firm, Tresalia Capital.^[34]

Philanthropy[link]

In 2008, Burch founded the Tory Burch Foundation, which provides "economic opportunities to women and their families".^[35] The Tory Burch Foundation is currently partnered with ACCION USA to provide domestic microfinance to low income entrepreneurs in the United States.^[36] ACCION USA is a non-profit domestic microfinance provider founded in 1991.^[37] Burch explained the reason for her focus as “I like microfinance in particular because it isn’t charity in the traditional sense. It’s about investing in people who might otherwise not have the chance to pursue their goals and helping families lift themselves out of poverty…It’s also incredibly important to the economic recovery of our country.”^[36] Burch’s stores sell several products whose proceeds support the Foundation’s work.^[38]

Burch is on the board of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and, in 2006, chaired the spring gala for the American Ballet Theatre which raised an estimated $1.8 million. In 2008, Burch was honored at a Colleague Helpers in Philanthropic Services (C.H.I.P.S.) luncheon that benefited the Children’s Institute, Inc.^[39]

Socialite[link]

Burch at 2007 Accessories Council of Excellence awards

Her parents were part of Philadelphia high society.^[9] Now, she is a socialite and businesswoman. She was co-chair of the American Ballet Theater Spring Gala in 2007 along with Caroline Kennedy, Carolina Herrera, Susan Fales-Hill (Misty Copeland's sponsor), Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, and Sloan Lindemann Barnett.^[40] She is also active in a variety of socialite activities such as the passing out gift bags at The Lung Cancer Research Foundation's "Strides for Life" Race.^[41]

Filmography[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Tory Burch main website
• Tory Burch Foundation website
• Tory Burch designer profile at Fashion Model Directory