Fur has slipped back into the spotlight, with plush coats showing up everywhere from winter street style to red carpets. What makes this comeback different is that it arrives with a louder debate than ever about what people are actually wearing. After years of being treated as a fashion no go, fur is returning quietly but persistently, pulled along by a mix of nostalgia, social media aesthetics, and a growing appetite for bold, old money drama. At the same time, the questions around ethics, sustainability, and status are harder to ignore.
Not long ago, fur symbolized the kind of excess many shoppers wanted nothing to do with. London Fashion Week officially banned it, major retailers removed it, and luxury houses gradually stepped away. In 2021, the Kering group announced it would stop using real fur, and the message felt clear. For a while, wearing fox or mink was almost guaranteed to attract criticism, especially as faux versions got more convincing and widely available.
Now the pendulum is swinging again, powered in part by the so called mob wife aesthetic that has taken over feeds with its big hair, dark sunglasses, and unapologetic glamour. Stars like Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Rihanna have helped push the look into the mainstream, and Sydney Sweeney has also been spotted in coats featuring fur details. Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas, a professor at Ravensbourne University London, has said the material works because it is visually intense and instantly creates fantasy and storytelling. In other words, one coat can do all the talking.
Fashion’s reaction has also shifted with the times. Instead of the era defined by PETA’s famous anti fur messaging, brands are experimenting with ways to justify bringing it back. Fendi marked its 100th anniversary with fur included in the collection and pointed to Furmark traceability standards introduced in 2022, though activists remain skeptical. Sociologist Angela McRobbie argues the return can also function as provocation, since fashion loves to break a long standing consensus when it wants attention.
Compromises have appeared too, including shearling, which is often framed as a byproduct of the meat industry. Yvonne Taylor from PETA rejects that logic, stressing that shearling is still fur, complete with skin and hair, even when it is marketed more softly. Brands like Gucci, Marni, and Chloé have embraced it anyway, with prices that can rival the real thing. Meanwhile, vintage fur has surged as some shoppers argue that wearing existing pieces is more responsible than producing new materials from scratch.
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That argument has become especially common among Gen Z, many of whom did not grow up with the most intense anti fur campaigns. Some wear inherited coats and see little difference between fur and leather, even while avoiding meat in their diets. Resale platforms like Vinted ban real fur officially, yet these items can still surface, and vintage boutique owner Holly Watkins says she has watched the cycle before, from booming demand to total disappearance and back again. PETA does not draw a line between old and new, and suggests donating existing fur rather than treating it as an ethical loophole.
Faux fur comes with its own baggage, since it is typically made from petroleum based plastics like polyester and acrylic. Circular fashion advocate Tamsin Blanchard warns that its fluffy structure can shed microfibers and it is often designed for short trend cycles that end in long lived waste. Designers and material innovators are searching for better answers, including BioFluff’s plant based Savian used by Ganni, and KOBA, developed through Stella McCartney’s work with Ecopel as a partly plant derived alternative. With so many versions now looking nearly identical, fur has become a style minefield where appearances rarely tell the full story.
Where do you land on the fur comeback, and do you think vintage, faux, or new bio based materials are the most responsible choice? Share your take in the comments.
