North American aboriginal-inspired clothing has inspired a new fashion craze in Europe, spearheaded by the Mukluk boot. But amid a rage of controversy, will the rabbit fur adorned footwear survive the next season?
Seen gracing the pedicured feet of the most revered stars in the fashion pages, crow-barred over the tightest jeans or teamed with a micro mini, the Canadian Mukluk boot has been declared the new Ugg, placing Canadian and North American Native clothing firmly on the style map.
From beaded and tasselled suede garments to feathered hairclips, Europe has embraced the traditional clothing designs of a culture thousands of miles away. And with critics of the Australian shearling Ugg prematurely celebrating a demise of the ‘comfort boot’, the Mukluk’s sudden emergence as the Ugg’s furrier younger sister has divided women across Europe into two boot camps – those who embrace the frivolity and comfort of the Mukluk, and those who opt for the trusty knee-high stiletto.
But love it or hate it, the trend is by no means confined to the hardcore fashion underworld and cannot be ignored. These latest footwear designs mimic those originally worn in Inuit and Native American cultures across the ages. However the Canadian Mukluk is now as at home pattering along the Champs Elysees on the feet of European fashionistas as ploughing through snow drifts in freezing Canadian and Alaskan climes.
Over the past year, the boot has shimmied its way along many a European catwalk and created a flurry of high street alternatives. Indeed, this Native trend does not only involve boots, with the moccasin flat being exalted by comfort-lovers as the new pointed stiletto shoe.
But becoming the proud owner of a pair of Mukluks comes at a cost, and this does not just refer to the hefty price tag. As the boot is traditionally fashioned from suede with a sheepskin lining and rabbit fur pompoms and trimmings, Mukluk wearers find themselves amid a new raging controversy regarding the use of fur. This debate now takes up as many column inches in European style publications as when the anti-fur movement originally came to the fore in the 1990s.
The use of fur is far less commonplace in most of Western Europe than in the Mukluk’s birthplace, as a warmer climate has rarely created a need for fur clothing. Not only is it interesting to witness the spread of such a climate specific garment across the Atlantic, but also to see how differently the use of fur is viewed on the different continents.
While the anti-fur lobby is certainly in existence in Canada and North America from where such footwear originated, there also exists a counter-argument that defends fur trapping as a way of life – indeed a necessity for survival – of many communities. Many cite the anti-fur impact in remote parts of Manitoba and other Canadian Provinces where fur trapping and trading was a way of life, claiming that many people were left with no source of income.
And this way of life has proved hard to comprehend by nations where fur trapping has held little place in history and where the use of fur holds no practical purpose, but has simply existed for the sake of fashion. To breed and kill animals solely for the sake of style, to create a luxury item that is commonly seen as an ostentatious show of wealth with no greater purpose, has left many people considering it as barbaric.
So Western European style gurus find themselves in a quandary. In the mid-1990s, the ethical debate surrounding fur suited the fashion world perfectly, as supermodels including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell joined forces with designers in the celebrated ‘rather go naked than wear fur’ campaign. But the recent rise of this Native style has led many who partook in this lobby to turn a blind eye to the basic ingredients of the clothing.
Indeed, the frenzy for Mukluks commenced when Kate Moss herself purchased two of the first pairs of Mukluks to hit European boutiques last year. Jamie Cook, director of Harper Lee, the international Mukluk distributor who provided the London outlet with the Mukluks purchased by Kate Moss, recently told Britain’s The Guardian newspaper: "As soon as Kate Moss, who is probably the most stylish woman in the world, bought two pairs, we knew we were on to something.”
And where Kate Moss treads, the rest of the fashion world soon follows. Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Paris Hilton and Beyonce Knowles are amongst the celebrities who have bought into the Mukluk trend. Within weeks, European boutiques were swamped with demands for the Canadian boot, with The Guardian newspaper reporting in December that amid high demand all London stockists had sold out.
But with animal rights campaigners, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which itself has a substantial celebrity following, blasting the celebrity Mukluk trend and creating public disdain for the re-emergence of fur into the fashion market, faux fur alternatives have been quick to materialize and some high street stores have decided not to restock fur in 2005.
Western fashion has always taken inspiration from far flung cultures around the globe, and this latest trend is no exception. Controversy aside, with or without the Mukluk, rumours abound that Cameron Diaz is to wear a Native-inspired outfit for her upcoming wedding to Justin Timberlake. If this is indeed the case, this latest celebrity following will keep the style well and truly in the public eye for at least a few more months.
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