SpiritHoods: 10+ Years of Faux Fur Fashion

Let’s take a trip back in time. To a world gone by... 

(Fall 2014)

The year is 2009. Barack Obama has just begun his first presidential term in the White House. You and your friends started a G.T.L. (Gym. Tan. Laundry) routine all thanks to MTV’s splashy new show, The Jersey Shore. The Black Eyed Peas are dominating the radio waves (people still listened to the radio back then) with their #1 hits Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling.

2009 is also the year a little company named SpiritHoods was born. (That’s us!)

Back in those days, if you were walking around town in a Grey Wolf SpiritHood people would stop you on the street. You’d probably have to spend a few minutes explaining that it was only fake fur. No wolves were harmed in the making of this dope piece of headgear. 

(Spring 2015)

Flash forward to today, everyone is wearing fake fur. From neon teddy bear coats to fluffy pink pillows — faux fur brings your personality and creativity to life via your clothes, accessories, and home decor. Faux fur fashion is more colorful, fun, and sustainable than the alternative. 

Photo courtesy @lizzierosemedia @madisonkymberlin @justlilmeg @parissinclair @cosmiraaa

It’s amazing when you realize how much the world has embraced faux fur since we first started this crazy little brand called, SpiritHoods. In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at how faux fur fashion has evolved over the past decade and what you can do to keep the anti-fur movement going. 

Fake Fur a Decade Ago...

(Fall 2015)

When SpiritHoods started, we spent a lot of time explaining that our fur was fake. The norm back then was real fur, not faux fur. Anyone wearing any type of fur coat — real or fake — had to worry about getting red paint thrown on them by animal rights protestors. Since SpiritHoods were so realistic and relatively unknown at the time, it’s easy to understand why people may have been confused. 

Today, it’s pretty rare to get asked the question, is that thing real? Along with fashion, culture has changed. Nowadays, it’s assumed that you’re not wearing a dead animal.

So what’s different?

A few things led to the rise of faux fur fashion during the 2010s. 

Fur-Free Luxury

(Fall 2016)

Many of the most famous designers around the world denounced the use of real fur. Iconic Italian designer, Donatella Versace has famously said, “Fur? I am out of that. I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion.” Other well-known brands that have embraced faux fur include Gucci, Tom Ford, Stella McCartney, Burberry, and Giorgio Armani. As the luxury fashion industry moves away from using real fur, we’ve also seen everyday brands like Gap Inc. and H&M follow suit. Much of what you see on fashion runways these days is fake fur. Back in 2009, the faux fur fashion trend was only just beginning. 

Faux Fur That’s Better Than the Real Thing

With increased demand from luxury fashion brands, the quality of faux fur available has gone way up. In 2009, it was hard to find the premium faux fur that we’ve all come to love. As you know, what makes SpiritHoods irresistible is our soft and fluffy faux fur that you just can’t stop petting. 

(Summer 2020)

Thanks to improvements in technology and more brands seeking out high-quality faux fur, there’s a greater variety for us to work with. Take Tissavel for example, this premium faux fur that originated in France is softer and more resilient than the real deal. For the ultimate in cozy, fluffy goodness check out our Tissavel collection.

Fake Fur Gets Colorful

(Summer 2020)

As fashion trends changed, bold and bright faux fur has gained popularity. In terms of color, natural fur is kinda boring. With faux fur, you can create luxuriously soft products in any color of the rainbow. In fact, some of our bestselling items use all the colors! Nothing makes a statement quite like a bright pink Ballerina Faux Fur Bomber Jacket or the richly-hued Black Wolf Classic Faux Fur Coat. More color means more freedom when it comes to styling and expressing yourself. 

New Laws Prohibiting the Sale of Fur

During the 2010s many countries, states, and cities around the world began passing laws supporting the anti-fur movement. In a lot of European countries, there is legislation in place to curb the use of animals for fur farming. In the US, California recently made it illegal to sell fur.

This all adds up to good news for our furry friends. 

All About the Animals

We hope that all those foxes, rabbits, and wolves are throwing a big ol’ party in honor of the progress that’s been made in the anti-fur movement. Knowing that you’ve helped us save thousands of cute critters warms our furry little hearts. Animals are the inspiration behind everything at SpiritHoods and that’s why we fight for their rights every day.

Photo courtesy Panthera

Raising awareness around endangered animals and animal abuse was always a part of our mission at SpiritHoods. Since the beginning, we’ve donated 10% of profits to several endangered animal organizations. We also occasionally release limited edition items and donate a portion of proceeds all the way up to 100% of proceeds to a specific nonprofit organization. Some of our non-profit partners include Snow Leopard Conservancy, Pandas International, Predator Defense, Polar Bears International, and Panthera. Check out the About Page to learn more about these partners and the work we do together.

See more photos from our Animal Tracks Sanctuary Photoshoot championing animals rescued from the black market pet trade.

Last fall, we were lucky enough to get a chance to visit Animal Tracks, a sanctuary for exotic animals that have been sold on the black market and kept illegally as pets. Thanks to a whole bunch of help from the amazing team there, we were able to capture some incredible photos featuring their animals. You can read more about our shoot and check out the stunning images in this blog post. Trust us, you haven’t seen the height of faux fur fashion until you’ve seen a model posing elegantly with a baboon in her lap.  

Faux Fur Fashion: Where We Stand

(Summer 2018)

50 years ago a real fur coat was the pinnacle of luxury and success. Today, the idea of wearing real fur is appalling to most of us. We’ve come a long way baby, but we’ve still got work to do.

In October of 2019, California became the first state in the US to ban the sale of fur. Cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles had already put this law in place, but now that an entire state prohibits the sale of fur, a new wave of change is on the way. New York City and Hawaii also have been debating introducing similar legislation. With much of Europe banning the sale of fur and the support of the fashion industry, hopefully, in another 50 years, real fur will be as unthinkable to us as smoking on an airplane.

We need your help to make this change a reality. Get in touch with your representatives. Follow and share content from organizations that save endangered and abused animals. Support brands that vow not to use real fur. Every action you take saves an animal from being harmed. 

Related Article

Want to learn more about our collaboration with Animal Tracks? Get to know our favorite furry models and see all the incredible photos in the blog post — Black Market Pet Trade: A Special Photoshoot Championing Rescued Animals.

Written by Lauren Tassi for SPIRITHOODS.