Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld insists garments made from animal fur should not be bought as an "investment" piece as a status symbol and instead ought to be worn casually by those who can afford it.
He said: "If you cannot afford it, just forget about it. Don't use it as an investment piece to show people how rich you are. Use it like a cheap knitted thing. It's like a big stone. Lucky you that you can have a big stone, but if it troubles you financially to have the stone, don't have the stone.
"If you can afford it, OK. But if you think it's an investment, then forget about it."
Karl admits he "doesn't like" animals being killed but insists he has no problems with fur farming because it is a way for people in rural areas to make a living.
He added to Vice magazine: "My father was not really a farmer, but I spent my time around the country so I know everything about country life. There's nothing else to trap in those areas.
"That's why I always say, when people talk about not using fur, 'Are you rich enough to make an income for the people in the north who live from hunting? What do you want them to live off of when there's nothing else to do?'
"I don't like that people butcher animals, but I don't like them to butcher humans either, which is apparently very popular in the world."
BANG Showbiz