Fur was once seen as way of gaining “contagious magic”. In ancient Egypt, only kings and high priests were allowed to wear the fur like ermine, mink, or chinchilla.
In later centuries, giving fur to a young girl on her 18th birthday as a rite of passage was seen as a sign of wealth. This elite status carried forward to the 20th century. With money, came the best furs and the best furs gave you social status. In the 1930s, people believed that the fur you wore told the whole world what type of person you were and what type of life you lead.
Four decades later however, this perception began to change. Fur became wrong in the eyes of many and wearing real fur was frowned upon by many celebrities. This topic has become more of a political statement in the past 40-50 years. Who knew that fashion would cause such controversy?
