Since the rise of the animal-rights movement in the sixties, fur has been, to say the least, controversial. To some, it’s a warm and stylish fashion statement; to others, it’s morally abhorrent. Whatever your view of the politics, fur is having a moment. According to the Fur Information Council of America, sales for 2010 hit $1.3 billion, up $40 million since 2009. And in 2011, more than 500 designers showed fur as part of their fall collections. Although the price of pelts has never been higher, fur is no longer the sole province of Upper East Side matrons. More than half of fur consumers today are under age 44, many of them lured in by small pieces like handbags, shoes, and vests. The increased interest has, naturally, triggered a concurrent backlash. The Truth in Fur Labeling Act was passed in 2010 after a number of retailers were busted for selling real fur masquerading as faux, or trying to pass off ferret as mink. In November, the city of West Hollywood approved a ban on the sale of real fur, the first of its kind, slated to take effect in fall 2013. (FICA is planning to challenge the ban in court.) On the following pages, we take a comprehensive look at the new world of fur, in which you’ll find a survey of notable real and synthetic merch currently on the market, a conversation with a PETA operative, mini-portraits of fur-obsessed New Yorkers, and, for good measure, a short profile of a surprisingly local muskrat hunter.

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