Can you spot the difference between real and fake fur?

LAST UPDATED: 18 July 2017

Very few people in Australia nowadays want to wear real fur. But the industry is trying to push their product back on the market by adding fur 'trims' to coats and other fashion items. Many people who naturally expect this to be faux fur end up buying real fur unintentionally.

Before you buy any product with fur, make certain it is faux. You can do this by:

1. Reading the label carefully — even on brightly dyed fur, or garments that only have fur 'trim'. Fur 'trims' are not off-cuts — they were once animals too!
2. Then making the following tests:

Speak to the store manager: If the manager confirms that the fur is real, politely explain that you object to animal fur due to the cruelty in the industry and that you cannot shop in a store that sells fur. You can politely recommend them to go fur-free.

Rule of thumb: if you still have any doubts, don't buy it!

Note: Some retailers and designers might try to convince you that rabbit fur is just a by product of the meat industry. In general this is not the case. Millions of rabbits are specifically bred and killed on factory farms for their fur because the rabbit fur industry demands the thicker pelt of an older animal for a particular quality fur (rabbits raised for meat are killed too young, when they still have their unstable infant coats or have begun their subadult moult). Regardless, even in the rare case where the rabbits may have been raised for their meat and their furs are also used, they are reared and killed in similar inhumane ways.

You can help — make compassion the new fashion!

• Learn more about the fur trade
• Be a Fur Detective and notify us if you see a retail store selling real fur.
• Sign the Fur-Free Pledge
• Check our Fur-Free Shopping List for retailers who have formally pledged not to sell real fur