KingAndrew
A-List Customer
- Messages
- 312
- Location
- Shanghai
One more important point is that the appalling cruelty in the video does not represent the entire industry. Although there are doubtless many who indulge in bad practices, there must also be some who do a better job. I'm sure that anyone wanting to do an expose will seek out the worst example they can find. And they should. But we can't assume that all other fur producers are as bad as the one in the video.
There is no PETA presence or awareness that I can see in Shanghai, which is by far the most Western-influenced city in China. Fur and leather are highly fashionable here. Since it is wintertime, most of the people I see on the street have on some leather or fur (of course, leather shoes and belts are always in use). Hats are everywhere, although most felt here is cheap wool. Although many hats are knitted or made of cloth, there are lots of felts, and quite a few hats are fur or leather (or imitation leather). Not only do I see leather flat caps and "biker" caps (like the Village People), I also see leather "hipster" hats with brims. And full-on fur pelt hats are very common, especially on cold days. Fur trimmed jackets and boots are very much in vogue right now among Shanghai's fashion-conscious women. In fact, the most popular look right now is to wear a heavy jacket, typically wool or leather with fur trim, and "Ugg" style boots with long hairy fur trim above the ankle. Amusingly, the legs are covered in sheer black leggings, which may be silk, cotton, or leather themselves.
My hats receive many positive comments from strangers here. Nobody else is wearing higher-quality fur felt fedoras. The hat market here is still too price conscious for Akubra or Stetson to reach many heads. But Shanghai is the world's #1 market for luxury goods (we have several Tiffany and Cartier stores, Luis Vuitton, all the designer shops, and so on). i have seen hats in some of the upmarket shops priced at the equivalent of $1500 or so. Perhaps if someone were to open a nice Optimo-style shop selling top-quality hats, Shanghai shoppers would support it. At the moment there is only one store that sells more expensive foreign hats, Futoshi Hats. That's where I bought my Stetson.
Andrew
There is no PETA presence or awareness that I can see in Shanghai, which is by far the most Western-influenced city in China. Fur and leather are highly fashionable here. Since it is wintertime, most of the people I see on the street have on some leather or fur (of course, leather shoes and belts are always in use). Hats are everywhere, although most felt here is cheap wool. Although many hats are knitted or made of cloth, there are lots of felts, and quite a few hats are fur or leather (or imitation leather). Not only do I see leather flat caps and "biker" caps (like the Village People), I also see leather "hipster" hats with brims. And full-on fur pelt hats are very common, especially on cold days. Fur trimmed jackets and boots are very much in vogue right now among Shanghai's fashion-conscious women. In fact, the most popular look right now is to wear a heavy jacket, typically wool or leather with fur trim, and "Ugg" style boots with long hairy fur trim above the ankle. Amusingly, the legs are covered in sheer black leggings, which may be silk, cotton, or leather themselves.
My hats receive many positive comments from strangers here. Nobody else is wearing higher-quality fur felt fedoras. The hat market here is still too price conscious for Akubra or Stetson to reach many heads. But Shanghai is the world's #1 market for luxury goods (we have several Tiffany and Cartier stores, Luis Vuitton, all the designer shops, and so on). i have seen hats in some of the upmarket shops priced at the equivalent of $1500 or so. Perhaps if someone were to open a nice Optimo-style shop selling top-quality hats, Shanghai shoppers would support it. At the moment there is only one store that sells more expensive foreign hats, Futoshi Hats. That's where I bought my Stetson.
Andrew
