Faux Fur Friday – December 5, 2026

History of Faux Fur Friday

The human fascination with wearing fur likely stemmed from a very real need to keep warm back in the days when electricity was not even an idea. As the world slowly evolved, fur (animal skins, really) was only worn by the elite, also known as rulers, nobility, and so on. Ancient Egyptian royalty and high priests wore coats made of leopard skins, and later, English kings issued laws that ensured only the noble elite were able to wear costly furs like fox and ermine. These obstacles made fur more desirable to people of all classes and turned it into a status symbol. Fur coats worn by major public figures made fur the ultimate symbol of wealth and power.

And then came fake fur. The earliest uses were suggested only for children way back in the 1800s, but it was also thought that fake fur was never going to be a substitute for the real thing. Gradually, by the 1900s, fake fur — or imitation/simulated fur — began to appear. This was initially made of the wool of unborn or newborn lambs and was mixed with synthetic fibers soon after. The craze for faux fur hit the roof around the mid-1900s, and by the 1950s, such garments were increasingly affordable and popular too. At the time, the news was full of reports of companies trying to outdo each other while creating the most realistic and luxurious fake fur. They would patent their inventions and sell faux skins under names like Cloud No. 9, Borgana, Glenara, and Dynasty. The New York Times even reported that the sales of fake fur rose to astronomical heights, going from several million dollars in 1954 to around $80,000,000 in 1957.

An anti-fur movement in the 1970s gave the fake fur industry a big boost, reaching new heights when big-name supermodels Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford were picked for a PETA ad campaign against the sale of real fur.
While the fashion industry stayed true to fur, faux fur has gained the support of labels like Vogue Paris and Gucci. Multiple brands have also picked up the faux fur trend, and they market it to customers all across the price range.
Recent years have seen multiple companies avoiding natural fur, countries banning fur production, and various designers exploring faux fur production on a grand scale.