Red paint splashing, dead raccoon throwing and catwalk invading has had little effect on designers using fur. This season the Paris, Milan, London and New York catwalks were full of furry creations from Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Marni and Alexander Wang.
And closer to home a stylish crowd milled about LIFEwithBIRD's Melbourne GPO opening on Thursday night, excited not only by the signature silk dresses and tops on the racks, but also by a new range of fur vests and jackets.
LIFEwithBIRD have collaborated with Bedelia on the fur pieces, which they say are a natural progression from working with leather. They’re not blind to the ethical concerns some have about fur - designers Bridget McCall and Nicholas Van Messner use only vintage rabbit and sheep, recycling pieces from jackets sourced from across Europe.
What is the attraction of working with fur?
"We started with leather goods eight years ago so we feel it is a natural progression to move into working with fur also."
Why use vintage fur?
"Because there are so many amazing pieces that sit in the back of cupboards and never see the light of day. In this day and age there's a different mindset to the use of fur- it’s not like the ‘50s and ‘60s when glamour and wealth saw the stars draped in beautiful furs and no one batted an eyelid at mink. It makes sense to recycle vintage pieces and create new modern day shapes from the existing pieces out there. We've seen vintage bags and shoes around for a long time, so it's an exciting concept to work with furs in a new way, and of course we've never been more into recycling in all manners of speaking than we are today."
What kinds of fur do you use?
"We stick to rabbit and sheep. There are so many varieties, but these work extremely well for the look we are trying to achieve."
Is there any kind of fur you won't work with?
"Absolutely! Anything endangered or that hasn’t been recycled. We are particular about our viewpoint on the use of furs and see it more as a revival of the old than a new process."
From where do you source vintage furs?
"We deal directly out of Denmark, but most of the pieces are gathered from across Europe."
Fur has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years and was particularly strong on the fall 2010 catwalks - why do you think it's popular again?
"Trends will always come and go. Everything is cyclical in fashion and it’s the right time to see the revival in relation to the current trends we're seeing right now. All it takes is a few key players such as Margiela to do furs in a fresh new way and everybody is into it again. It's great because there is often a black cloud associated with the use of fur and it’s such a shame because really anyone who wears leather shoes or has a leather handbag is basically no different to someone wearing a fur as long as the place they all come from is something we agree with . The political viewpoint is something we hope to alter by recycling them and turning old shapes into new interesting ones."
What is the inspiration behind the winter collection?
"The Blur winter collection is a balance of hard and soft. We always like to blur the boundaries between our tailored look and drapery. The leather leggings have been a huge hit for us this season, and the two print stories have had a great response also. Guy Bourdin was an inspiration in terms of the feel of the collection. Our girl was a modern day Charlie’s Angel. Tough, sexy and comfortable within her skin and the styles for the season really reflect that. We've also bought back our leather bags which is really exciting as we haven't seen them for a few years now and after much demand it’s great to see them return."
Much must have changed in terms of technique since the furs you work with were created - what new techniques do you use to work with fur?
"A few of the pieces we've worked with are knitted together and also use the knitted pieces as part of the design which works really well. We've also used leather and silks to not only keep the price down, but also as a key design feature as well."