As one of the best dressed celebrities out there, Rihanna has toted all kinds of materials in her outfits. When we have seen her in fur coats is that stuff real or faux?
Rihanna has worn real fur multiple times over the past decade. In 2013, she was spotted wearing a long brown fur coat. Since then she has been spotted wearing fur at different fashion shows and events. This has resulted in her being the target of PETA and their campaigns to get celebrities to ditch the fur.
Scroll down to read more about Rihanna’s different fur styles, PETAs request, and receiving the Compassion in Fashion award.
Rihanna’s Different Fur Styles
As stated above, Rihanna has been wearing real fur styles for years now. In 2013, she was spotted on her way out in a short blue dress with a massive brown mink fur coat overtop. At the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2014, she shocked many people by wearing a sheer dress where practically everything was visible. Less shocking was the pink fur shawl accompanying the outfit.
At the 2015 Met Gala, Rihanna wore a massive yellow cape like dress from Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei. The dress took 20 months to create and featured a yellow fur trim made of fox fur. The dress weighed 55-lbs. Designer Pei stated “Not everyone can handle that dress. Only women who have the confidence of a queen could wear it.”
Rihanna wore a fur coat in 2017 to the Dior Cruise Fashion Show. The fur coat along with everything else she was wearing were all from the Dior Cruise fashion line. In February 2019, Riri was spotted in a white fur trench coat from fashion design Celine.
You can watch Rihanna in a brief interview with Vogue about her 2015 Met Gala gown by following the below YouTube link.
PETAs Attention
With so much of her fashion containing fur, it should come as no surprise that Rihanna has been the target of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). When she wore the aforementioned Dior fur coat in 2017, the organisation reached out to her.
In a letter, Andrew Bernstein of PETA said “We saw the numerous comments from fans who were disappointed to see you wearing fur at the Dior event last week. Like us, they wish you would please retire your furs and instead choose a look that kills but doesn’t actually kill anyone.” The letter then goes on to highlight that PETA has sent Rihanna faux fur as a gift and is asking her to donate her real furs to the organisation.
The same letter then goes on to state that “Your donated furs would go to good use: In the past, we’ve sent furs to Syrian refugees and to homeless shelters, which has an impact on “as many lives as possible in a positive way,” as you said so eloquently in your Harvard Humanitarian Award acceptance speech.” As far as can be told, Rihanna never took them up on their offer.
Rihanna’s Fenty Receives Compassion in Fashion Award
Despite criticism from PETA for her wearing of real fur, she has recently received recognition from the organisation for her fashion brand Fenty. In April of 2020, Rihanna received PETAs Compassion in Fashion award.
The award was given to Rihanna after her company, Fenty, revealed a new fashion line made from faux leather. In this Instagram post, the brand stated “For our Faux Leather capsule we partnered with London-based artist @rosannawebster who used our campaign images to highlight a core element of this collection: the contrast between the strength of the silhouettes and the softness of the fabric.”
Although she received this award and is now working to use animal friendly materials in her fashion brand, the verdict is out on whether Rihanna will still wear real fur.