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| Evolutionary Fur Oleg Cassini's Compassionate Fashion Statement |
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Fashion designer Oleg Cassini once made a leopard coat for Jackie Kennedy. Bearing the First Lady's endorsement, these coats soon became so popular that over 250,000 leopards were to die in the name of high fashion. Perhaps in a gesture meant to make peace with his maker, the aging fashion designer showed his born-again commitment to animals with his art. Debuting his new, revolutionary line of Evolutionary Fur at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. last week, by all accounts it will be the future of the fur industry.
Constructed using a complex procedure of weaving or knitting, Evolutionary Fur is made from bales of raw fiber rather than the skins of dead, fur-bearing animals. An artist scans a photo or drawing of an animal into a computer, which creates a digital simulation of the fur. The computer then maps a formula, the fabric is woven by machinery, and the look of fur is perfectly matched. By closely mimicking an animal's coat, the deep pile fabric made with both long guard hairs and short fur with an insulating undercoat, it keeps a person toasty on the coldest of days. Actually, this synthetic look-alike is warmer than an animal's fur with no animals having suffered in the process. "Is it possible to allow millions of creatures to suffer the way they do? Because it is not death that is frightening, the frightening thing is the way they die," asked Cassini who spoke to large audience at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "The motto is don't dress to kill." Evolutionary Fur is said to be quite durable. The plush fabric will retain its good looks for years to come, is easier to care for than a coat made from animal fur and requires no special storage during the warmer months. It can even be dry-cleaned. Looking and feeling every bit as good as the real thing, a coat will cost $600 to $1000, nearly one-tenth the cost of real fur. Evolutionary Fur coats have already begun to appear this season in many major department stores across the United States. It would seem that there is no longer any reason to buy animal fur. This fashion statement helps to keep millions of animals alive and well. Bob DeFranco is an animal behavior therapist, lecturer, public access television producer, executive director of the Animal Behavior Center of New York and president of the American Foundation for Animal Rescue, Inc. in Queens. Watch him on the Companion Animal Network, QPTV Channel 34, Wednesdays at 8:30 PM and listen to him on NewsTalk WEVD 1050 AM, Saturdays at 5:00 P.M. beginning February 12, 2000. Questions or comments? Write P.O. Box 7623, Rego Park, NY 11374 or e-mail him at: bob@canines.com |
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