for specifically the forestpunk, but any other related aesthetics that may have this information, the advice to use faux fur over organic fur is actually quite bad. especially considering the environmental beliefs of forestpunk. faux materials such as faux fur, pleather, etc, are actually very harmful for the environment and shed tons of microplastics. they also are poor quality in regards to actually designing anything with them, as they break down easily. ive seen many pleather jackets begin peeling after just a few weeks of regular wear.
what should be adviced, however, is ethically sourcing. buying second hand is one of the easiest ways of making sure youre not paying into a company that mistreats animals. buying first hand is a bit harder, but there are ways to tell if what youre looking at is ethically sourced. ethically sourced fur is from either already dead animals (roadkill) or animals killed for food, where every part of it is used. not fur farming, where animals are raised and bred purely for their fur. this does not include sheep, llamas, or other wool animals as it is in fact very humane to shear them. these animals have been domesticated by us humans to be farm animals and to produce wool, they need to be sheared for their health and safety. many people still live off of hunting animals, and every culture has hunted animals for food, tools, clothes, and other materials. many cultures still do to this day. ill include some links talking about the ethics of fur in more detail.
all of this, i am saying as someone that tries to be properly environmentally conscious, as well as racially and socially. i grew up in the country, where hunting was not a sport, but a way of life and a necessity. the perspective that i am speaking from is often either unknown or ignored. i know that yall probably dont want to get political or too deep into ethics, but the aesthetics that may tote around saying foux > organic are talking ethics. so this is my piece.
of course, you can also always just not wear fur. if you dont like the ethical dilemma of faux vs organic, simply dont wear fur. youre not losing anything or missing out on anything, no one will call you a poser or a fake. if they do, shame on them.
basically, tldr; dont buy faux materials if youre environmentally conscious, just buy from ethical sources or second hand. sorry this is so long lol
