Mark Oaten, Author at We Are Fur

Does Gucci really want to choke the world with plastic fur?

October 16, 2017

By International Fur Federation CEO, Mark Oaten Fashion brand Gucci has announced plans to go fur-free from 2018 and will instead be looking into alternatives, including fake plastic fur. Now, I’m the last person to prevent a business or individual from making up their own mind about fur and employing freedom of choice (a stance sadly not shared by the bullies and closed-minded activists of PETA and the like), but I find this move rather mystifying because of the main argument used. Specifically, chief executive...

MARK OATEN IN TARRIF TALKS

July 25, 2017

IFF CEO Mark Oaten was in China this week holding talks with government customs officials on trying to reduce the luxury goods tariff into china. He also spoke at meetings to launch a new farm welfare standard and discussed the development of luxury branding in China with the jade industry and brand experts.

IFF CEO Mark Oaten slams the animal activists protest at Michael Kors fashion talk in New York last night

June 22, 2017

"Screaming and yelling animal activists will not stop Michael Kors or his millions of customers from expressing their right to choose what they wear. Freedom of choice is a basic right and I find it shocking that these protestors don’t respect that. Their bullying aggressive and disturbing tactics have no place in a world where there is already too much violence- and certainly not in the fashion world. As Michael Kors said last night "its fashion … life goes on". Current Men’s Fashion weeks in...

World Fur Trade is booming despite China slowdown

June 19, 2017

(Press Release: London – 5th of June 2017) Driven by resurgent interest from the catwalk (e.g. London AW 17 catwalks showing fur up 8% year on year) the international fur trade has remained strong despite a predicted slow down in the Chinese luxury sector, new figures reveal. Demand from the fashion and interior design sectors continues to drive fur production in Europe and North America with items made from mink, chinchilla and sable more popular than ever. In 2016 there were over 75 million mink...

Is Now The Right Time For An Industry As Old As Fashion To Change?

May 2, 2017

It’s time for a catwalk revolution. But why cats? And why are they walking? I want to see a dogdive. A rhinolunge. The catwalk is worn-down, in need of a good scrub. I’m seeing out-of-season clothes being paraded in the same four cities year-in, year-out. This is the high fashion industry. We’re supposed to be innovators, yet we’re stuck in the past. Why are we so averse to change, and what are we doing to disrupt this vehemently archaic system? Things were looking up in...

Sustainability And Transparency Are Key To Luxury’s Success

February 6, 2017

Environmental concerns are increasingly top of mind for every business, despite Donald Trump’s denial of global warming. Leading businesses confirmed their commitment to the cause at Davos a couple of weeks ago when they launched FReSH, the Food Reform for Sustainability and Health program, under the leadership of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the EAT Foundation (EAT). And the fashion industry is no different. As the models sashay down the last of the catwalks at the men’s autumn/winter shows, Kering, owners...

PETA really crosses a line – yet again.

December 7, 2016

I THOUGHT I was immune to the increasingly amateur and bizarrely comical PR stunts by PETA as they try to coerce us all into following their obsessive agenda of hate and intolerance. I really did. After all, there's only so many times you can laugh at the same joke. But PETA always manages to tell the same joke in an even dafter way every time they try to climb on the stage. And like a bad musical hall comic, they think if they shout loud...

The Workplace Dress Code; A Conundrum For The Uninitiated

October 6, 2016

I have been recruiting new staff over the last few months and the ice breaking chat has been all about what to wear at an interview. I can see the look of shock when I walk in with jeans and Converse; some of the candidates visibly reach for their tie with a rather nervous tug. As a CEO I guess they expect me to be all suited and formal, but these days more and more “business” is informal and I like it that way. But...

Faux Fur is More Than a Faux Pas, it’s Poison

August 2, 2016

Mark Oaten, CEO of International Fur Federation writes for the Huffington Post One of the arguments most beloved of the anti-fur lobby is that faux fur is actually better for the environment than the real thing. That argument, however, is as fake as the apparel it supports. And some new research has thrown the whole issue around man-made fibres more generally into the limelight. Specifically, researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara have found that, on average, synthetic fleece jackets release 1.7 grams...

New Production Figures Reveal Another Strong Year for the Global Fur Trade

June 17, 2016

London, 16th of June 2016 – Data unveiled today shows that 2015 was yet another successful year for the global fur sector – thanks to the continuing demand from fashion and interiors brands for mink, fox, chinchilla and sable among other fur types. In 2015, 71.27 million mink pelts were produced globally with a total value of $3.57bn*. There were also 8.93 million fox pelts with a value of more than $1.17bn*. This information from the International Fur Federation (IFF) shows the global reach of...

Daily Mail ‘Gets it completely wrong about fur’ shocker!

May 24, 2016

RE: Russian Fur Farming The latest article on the fur trade was, it must be said, a masterful effort in taking my comments completely out of context, stating opinion as fact, getting the most basic details wrong and, of course, referring repeatedly to my past and my private life because that has so, so much relevance to a piece on animal farming in Russia. The thing is, “shocking pictures” will always play well with the audience and bashing the fur industry is so easy. The...

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