To die for: a luxurious fur coat at Macdonald's show last night
Defiant: Julien Macdonald, with Naomi Campbell, produced a higher than normal fur count - indicating that he may be heading for Milan
Last updated at 12:02 14 February 2007
To die for: a luxurious fur coat at Macdonald's show last night
Defiant: Julien Macdonald, with Naomi Campbell, produced a higher than normal fur count - indicating that he may be heading for Milan
Designer Julien Macdonald has declared war on animal lovers protesting against his use of fur in London Fashion Week.
Some onlookers were shocked to see his autumn collection relied heavily on different types of fur - even to create an entire dress.
But he remained unrepentant, saying: "People who don't like fur can p*ss off. I love fur. It's a beautiful natural product from animals."
Macdonald has been urged to stop using fur in the past, and last night's show, cloaked in secrecy, was the only Fashion Week event which withheld the venue amid fears that animal rights activists would gatecrash the event at the Park Lane Hilton.
Macdonald, 34, who stars in the Sky One reality show Project Catwalk, had Naomi Campbell open his collection wearing a fur-trimmed black parka.
She left the show with one of his signature fur coats.
With confirmation of the Welsh designer's imminent decampment to either New York or Milan, the larger than normal fur count suggests it will be the latter, as fur is considered more acceptable in Italy.
Today a spokeswoman for anti-fur group Peta said: "Every year tens of thousands of animals will be killed for Julien's collections."
Actress Pamela Anderson, a Peta supporter, snubbed an invitation from Macdonald this week, telling him: "If you stop using fur, I'd be thrilled to attend... I know you can come up with killer fashions that don't kill anything."