The International Fur Federation (IFF) has launched a global ad campaign with the aim of highlighting the immense economic value of the sector – worth over $40 billion worldwide.
The activity will include a full-page advert which will appear in every international edition of The Economist magazine published on 29 March. The ad reveals that global fur retail sales are estimated at $35.8 billion, farming is valued at $7.8 billon and employment in the sector at over one million.
The work aims to demonstrate the business value of fur, rather than focusing on its increasing use in the fashion trade. In countries such as Greece, Russia, China and Denmark fur is a leading contributor to the national economy and employs tens of thousands of people.
Mark Oaten, CEO of IFF, said: “These figures, unveiled for the first time in this ad campaign, show that it’s been a great couple of years for the sector. While of course there have been challenges, such as the recent economic slowdown in China and the fluctuating price of fur at auction, the recent cold weather in North America and its increasing popularity on catwalks globally has once again thrown our sector into the spotlight.
“The ad itself is all about the power of copy to convey a business message and we’re well aware of the benefits of print advertising. We’re not showing off how good fur apparel looks, we’re demonstrating the unquestionable value the trade brings to the global economy.”
