Sporting dreads, playing the newest tunes by Kirk Franklin andAlicia Keys and steering her Honda Pilot SUV, Deborah Brown enjoyshaving the latest.
So it's not likely the 32-year-old television news segmentproducer would be caught wearing the long, classic fur coat of hermom's generation. Yet, the fur industry couldn't be happier. That'sbecause Brown has opted for a snazzy, black bomber jacket-styledmink.
"It's all about the bells and whistles for me. I love all theembellishments," said Brown, who first spotted her fur at a vendordisplay at a party. "I like trendy things; really, really nice,classy things, but with a little pop."
Young women like her have become the new face of the fur buyer,according to the industry and style watchers.
The popularity of furs is at an all-time high among the young andchic, says Constance White, commentator for E!'s "Fashion Police" andeditor of online marketplace eBay.com's Personal Style. That's due,in part, to a growing interest in vintage clothing as well as theinfluence of fur-draped celebrities, "whether they are on the redcarpet or in a hip-hop video," she says.
PETA SAYS IT'S HAVING AN EFFECT
In the last two weeks, 2,400 fur coats have sold on eBay. The mostpopular items were shorter jackets and fur-trimmed items, White says.
More than 55 percent of fur buyers are under age 44. And thebiggest growth in sales, says the Fur Information Council of America,is coming from those ages 21 to 34 -- a group that grew up with high-profile PETA campaigns and didn't share the fashion sense of olderwomen.
"They're more savvy than the generation that preceded them,especially after 9/11. They're less likely to take any informationany group feeds them at face value," says Fur Information Councilexecutive director Keith Kaplan.
He says People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wrongfullytakes credit for the decline in fur sales in the 1980s and early'90s; rather, the decline was the result of the recession.
But PETA has affected younger consumers, asserts spokeswomanBrandi Valladolid. Recently, Forever 21, Wet Seal and J. Crewannounced they would stop selling fur, largely at the behest of 13-to 20-year-old activists, according to Valladolid.
"We definitely attribute the success to all three of thosecampaigns to increasing awareness among young people," she says.
Even so, the average age of the fur buyer continues to drop. Tenyears ago, it was 48.5. Today, it's about 43, Kaplan says.
Women are being lured by different cuts, colors and increasedavailability of fur. More than 400 designers use fur in theircollections, up from 40 two decades ago. The fashion industry usesnew techniques with fur, including tie dye, micro shearing and lasercutting.
"There's so much creativity and innovation," Kaplan says. "Theproducts they're creating are appealing to the younger demographic,and it's a product that's available where they shop."
Shoppers ages 25 to 37 make up the fastest-growing customer groupat Island Furs, 1827 W. 103rd, co-owner Berry James says.
Colors like whiskey, and styles including vests, capes and bolerojackets -- "things the young generation is wearing, hip-hop stuff" --attract buyers, he says.
CHICAGO IS 2ND IN FUR SALES
Over at Chicago Fur Outlet, 777 W. Diversey, co-owner HowardBresnik observes more women buying for themselves these days, ratherthan waiting for generous boyfriends or hubbies to present them coatsas gifts. A shopper can pick up a Tibetan lamb jacket for $200 to$300. A thousand dollars can get her a mink jacket.
And in Chicago, where sales of fur are second in the nation --just behind New York -- low temperatures make fur coats a necessityto some women, he says.
"Some gals are standing at the bus stop in the morning. They needthe long winter coats," Bresnik says.
cjackson@suntimes.com
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