Going forward, her new looks will use faux fur.
- The queen will not employ real fur in her future new outfits, her dresser, Angela Kelly, recently revealed in her memoir.
- A spokesperson from Buckingham Palace confirmed the news but clarified that this doesn’t mean the queen’s current fur pieces will be replaced with faux fur or that she will never wear fur again.
The fur-free movement has touched designers in the fashion industry, the state of California, and now British royalty. Queen Elizabeth II will no longer wear real fur in her future new outfits, her dresser and personal adviser, Angela Kelly, revealed in a new memoir, The Other Side of the Coin.
In the book, to which the queen gave her blessing, Kelly wrote (per The Telegraph), “If Her Majesty is due to attend an engagement in particularly cold weather, from 2019 onwards fake fur will be used to make sure she stays warm.”
“As new outfits are designed for the queen, any fur used will be fake. We are not suggesting that all fur on existing outfits will be replaced, or that the queen will never wear fur again. The queen will continue to re-wear existing outfits in her wardrobe.”
Fur has long been a sartorial staple for royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II, from the luxe coats and shawls worn on evening appearances to the ermine fur-lined Robe of State worn on coronations. According to The Telegraph, the decision to forgo the material has earned praise from animal rights groups in the U.K.
“Queen Elizabeth’s decision to ‘go faux’ is the perfect reflection of the mood of the British public, the vast majority of whom detest cruel fur, and want nothing to do with it,” Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International, told the outlet.
While it’s impressive that designers like Gucci and Prada, department stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, and now royalty like the queen have stopped or have announced plans to stop using fur, some biologists question whether faux fur is a better alternative considering the damage synthetic fabrics can do to the environment and the alleged unethical labor practices used to create the materials.
Source: HarpersBazaar.com
