Prada has answered the prayers of animal lovers with the release of a range of faux fur handbags for fall.
There are three bags in all: the pint sized Eco Pellicia Faux Fur Wristlet and the large Prada Mohair Faux Fur Garden Tote and Prada Mongolia Faux Fur Garden Tote. Each costs a fraction of the price of authentic fur bags; the wristlet is available for $370 while the totes will set you back $995.
The use of faux fur makes a lot of sense to me. Embossed exotic skins and stamped ostrich hides have become common place on the fashion landscape, so why not replicate fur too? These aren’t the best faux furs I’ve seen, but they’re also not the worst. The Mongolia Fur Garden Tote looks a little stringy and fibrous, but I can imagine spending a lot of time petting that wristlet. It seems every bit as soft as a good fur bag should be.
The biggest disappointment for me is the use of real leather for the handles. I suppose Prada’s faithful might revolt if the luxury line started to use synthetic, but it’s not going to please PETA any. It seems hypocritical to condemn the use of real fur but continue to slaughter cows, doesn’t it? A life is a life after all.
So perhaps this isn’t the collection that animal lovers were hoping for, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
