Is faux fur the future for African tribes?
updated the 7 October 2015 à 00:03
Faux fur is not just changing the fashion industry – but also some tribal traditions in Africa. So is it time to ditch real fur for good? Here’s an insight.
For decades in South Africa, it has long been part of the culture that the members of the indigenous Zulu ‘Shembe’ church wear leopard skins as ceremonial and religious dress.
This practice symbolizes beauty, power and prestige as per the tribe’s beliefs.
But recently, persuaded by conservationists, Shembe leaders have agreed to wear fake leopard skins to preserve South Africa’s big cat population.
This faux fur has been a real success. As one Shembe leader said: “Not only do they look and feel like real leopard skins, they also last longer.”
DHL and a United States-based organisation, Panthera, have agreed to cover the cost of shipping the authentic-looking faux furs from manufacturers in China to South Africa. The result is an African fake fur product, manufactured in China and shipped via DHL – This is definitely the unbelievable bright side of globalization!
An estimated ten percent of the tribe members have so far swapped the real fur for the synthetic one.
So cozy up to the faux-fur trend! It’s prestigious, it’s warm, and it’s cruelty free — Perhaps some fashion designers could learn something and copy this African custom… Don’t you think?
Lindsay POUI-DI
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