APPROACHING autumn last year, London Fashion Week was the buzz for the fashion industry – and looking ahead to the season of Autumn/Winter 2011, fur was definitely on the catwalk.

Many people in today’s society do not see or realise the horrific hunting of beautiful animals that are killed just to look good on the runway.

Each year a shocking 45 million animals worldwide are bred and raised in cages for their fur.

Leading designers buy into animal furs to sell on in the industry for thousands.

But the question is constantly asked – why don’t the leading designers settle for faux fur?

Many believe that it’s the texture, the quality, the colour, the overall look and the fashionable feel.

Although, if the consumers saw the brutality and pain that the animals suffer just to get ‘the look’, they’d be appalled – and in addition it would change their opinions.

Fur comes from all types of animals, such as raccoons, dogs, rabbits, foxes, mink, and chinchillas, which mainly own the catwalk. However, in some countries like China and other Asian nations, domestic animals such as dogs and cats are bred for clothes and accessories.

Imagine your own pet being taken away from you just to be worn to look and make someone feel good?

But it’s not only the animal that is being destroyed here. It’s the whole of its food chain and species.

As global warming becomes an increasing factor worldwide, is there a danger of extinction?

Fur factories all over the world are not taking this matter into consideration: all they see is the money, not the fact that these animals are living very short lives...but for what?

With faux fur, famous designers would still achieve ‘the look’, but with the satisfaction that an innocent creature was not killed for it.

Real fur is not fantastic.

Real fur defeats creations of human nature.

Real fur is the skin of tortured animals.

Swindon Advertiser: Blob By Katie White, 15, The Commonweal School