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I used to be 100% anti-fur. But now I don't know anymore. I went to this vintage shop the other day and they had lots of gorgeous fur stoles and collars - and I found myself really wanting one. I feel hypocritical to say the least. I'm not supposed to want one. But I do. I want more than one, actually. And I feel pretty bad about it. However - isn't vintage still better thanm' buying new fur? You're not supporting the industry and the damage has already been done - so do you think it's acceptable or not? I'm really confused. On one hand, I love fashion and fur is so elegant and classy, but on the other hand I know that many fur suppliers treat the animals badly, and buying fur would make me feel like I'm saying one thing but doing the opposite. I sorta kinda think that vintage fur is okay, but it feels like I'm doing something bad.
Please only reply if you have a proper reason for your opinion, so just saying it's wrong or "an animal died for it" (animals died for my dinner too) won't really work...
TL;DR ver. : Basically, I just want someone to tell me that it's perfectly okay to buy vintage fur D:

Meh, I don't like fur, but that's more taste than morals to me.

A nice wool coat, or even that faux-fur cotton stuff > fur.

I might edit to add more later, but for now, take this veritable essay of a post. I'm not exactly sure what I'm trying to say, but here are my thoughts on the matter. If there are any typos I apologise, it's 3.30am here and I'm a tad bit tired.

In one respect, like you said, the damage has been done already. Whichever animals the fur came from are (obviously) now dead, whether or not they were treated humanely. If you think about that, you could say that since you can't know, it wouldn't feel right, because they could have been mistreated. At least it's not actually supporting the industry.

On the otherhand, after everything is said and done, it's a terrible waste - however it was treated, the product made from the animal's fur is now just sitting there, in the vintage shop. From a point of view, that's disrespectful - whether the animal suffered or not, their pelt isn't being used anymore, it could get thrown out if there isn't enough space in the shop for new stock. So making it that, if the animal was raised for their fur, the use of their fur isn't being appreciated or valued at all.
Similarly, I think it's disrespectful to let an item, be it a fur stole, or meat in a butchers, or cow's milk, not be used once everything is over and done with. There's no significance being put on the fact that another living being had to die for what you're holding in your hands, no respect.
If I were to put it in slightly kooky terms, the animal's life isn't being honoured at all by getting rid of the fur, or leaving it there.
That's close to how I feel about eating meat. Sure, I could go vegetarian, if it weren't for the fact that I like my meat a lot (bit of a carnivore, me) and I'm kind of lazy. Which is hypocritical, in that I usually don't bother very much to think about how any meat I eat was treated when it was alive. Attitude is important, though. I'm thankful that I have to the chance to eat those kind of animal products. It's somewhat similar to how I've heard that despite hunting and killing deer and other animals, many native people still gave thanks to the spirit of the animal for what it gave them. I think this applies, even in the non-spiritual sense, to how animals are treated. We can't act as if they don't feel pain, debates of conscious thought and all that aside. There has to be an element of respect.
I suppose my view that way stems from the fact that I feel respect to be vitally important when approaching many things. Relations with others, moral issues, ethical issues... A lot of how my opinions are formed stem partially from the concept of using a respectful approach.

A lot of the ethical problems associated with fur could be solved if there was a guarantee that the animals were treated well, when they were alive, and when they were being killed. Something like the way there are free-range hens. Or when you're assured that an animal has been looked after correctly, you know? Or in relation to fairtrade, that the person who made the product has been fairly paid for the work they put into it.
I don't think I'd have a problem with it if there were. It's a more touchy issue as well if it's a uncommon, less widespred or mildly endangered animal. For example, whatever the qualities of the material, I couldn't go fox fur or anything like that. Rabbit or something similar wouldn't bother me as much. However, I think you can't put aside thoughts about how a species of animal is doing in the world simply because the texture or colour of the fur is good. Otherwise, it's like unconsciously sending the message that there's no relevance to the work that conservationists, and people who've re-introduced species to places they vanished from, are doing.

Or, oddly enough, I wouldn't have a problem with the use of fur if the animal it came from (naturally, not one that's struggling in the wild) was hunted or trapped after living the majority of their life in their natural habitat. After all, if you go way back, I can probably safely say that both of our ancestors wore furs and pelts from animals that they killed themselves (not that following old patterns of behaviour essentially means that those behaviours are correct - fox hunting is un-neccesary, cruel and barbarous) - and an animal if the wild wouldn't be as like to be mistreated or abused as one from a fur farm.

I can't tell you whether it's right or wrong to buy vintage fur. But, Sushii, it's definitely important to think about everything. And if you do chose to buy some of it, you know you'll have to have sound reasoning to calmly use if anyone objects to you wearing it. I hope something I've said has relevance to you.

"Seriousness is the refuge of the shallow."

@John Galliano:
I'm not really sure human skin would be of the greatest quality for clothing, but they used to bind books with human skin (or so I was told.) So it'd work right? And it seemed to work okay for that Jeepers Creepers guy (that was a stupid movie... he sure could make s**t out of dead people quickly, though!)

When I die I wouldn't mind being turned into art or something like that.

Personally, I think having a human spine hanging from your ceiling would look totally rad 8D

- Oscar Wilde.