Fashion turned on fur. Now everyone wants it.

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Zachary Weiss, a brand consultant in New York, owns four vintage fur coats. PETA announced in 2020 that it was ending its long-running “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign.

For three decades, the ads decrying the use of animal pelts in fashion had featured nude celebrities including Christy Turlington and Pamela Anderson. But suddenly, there was less to protest: California had banned the sale and manufacture of almost all new fur, and major brands like Prada and Gucci said they’d no longer use it, a trend the industry has since followed. Five years on, fur is back in fashion, and high-end dealers are reaping the benefits.

While fur production has decreased overall since the aughts, demand for secondhand coats is on the rise. Furriers across the country are seeing renewed interest in their vintage and used stock, increasing their sales. “In a year or two, you’ll see it on the runway again," said Daniel Wachtenheim, vice president of Los Angeles-based Wachtenheim Furs, who has worked in the business since 1984.

The trend has already hit the red carpet. At the 2024 Grammys, rapper Ice Spice wore a Baby Phat denim set embellished with fur repurposed from a vintage vest. Heading into the stadium for the Super Bowl this month, DeAndre Hopkins, a wide-receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, went viral for wearing what he said was his late father’s mink coat.

Mink pelt production declined 28% between 2022 and 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the value of pelts fell 10% over the same period. Meanwhile, online interest has skyrocketed.