The Grand Tzarina Collection: Why we killed our faux fur line

I never thought I’d write this.

When I first launched faux fur pieces under Tzarina By Oli, it felt like the right thing to do. They were luxurious. Soft. Ethical—at least, that’s what we were told aka brainwashed , now i am certain of that.

They sold fast. People loved them. The brand made a lot of money. But something didn’t sit right. I had a feeling. And eventually, I followed it.

I visited the production facility where the fake fur was made. Not some random aisan factory, but where every high end brand was making their faux fur, What I saw made it impossible for me to ever create another faux fur coat again. 

Faux fur isn’t a kind alternative. It’s plastic. Hundreds of thousands of microplastic fibers are shed every time a faux fur garment is worn or washed. These invisible fibers flow into our oceans, poison sea life, and eventually find their way back to us—into our drinking water, our food, even our lungs. There’s growing research linking synthetic textile microfibers to long-term health risks, including hormonal disruption and carcinogenic exposure.

Production isn’t clean, either. Making faux fur requires large amounts of petroleum-based chemicals. The process releases toxic gas into the air and heavy metals into the water supply. None of it breaks down. It just accumulates—everywhere. If i told you what i saw in the town where they make the faux 'fur', you would not be able to sleep. 

Faux fur is marketed as a cruelty-free choice, but the cruelty is just hidden. Why? Oh fast fashion that includes fake fur is a very very good business. Unlike real fur, it costs nothing to mass produce. Brands are making BILLIONS on the lie 'faux fur is sustainable' The cruelty it causes to the planet, animals, people doesn’t scream. It seeps—slowly destroying ecosystems we rely on. It’s not sustainable. It’s greenwashed fashion.

So I stopped. I made that choice fully aware that i would be losing a large chunk of revenue. I don't care.

If someone wants to cover themselves or their kids with a literal petroleum like fake fur that fyi are treated with formaldehyde, phthalates and PFCs that are known to cause endocrine disruption from chemical exposure i will not be the one supplying them with that especially after my own mom had cancer and luckily recovered. 

At Tzarina By Oli, we’ve chosen to sell only real fur because it’s biodegradable, natural, and made to last for decades. All our furs are sourced from regulated farms in Europe—never China, never mass-scale factory abuse. The animals are treated with far more dignity than the Earth is under fake fur. I know that people don't care if they don't see the damage the chemicals from the fake fur cause, but i do. I will NEVER go back to making the fake fur. I'd feel like a criminal selling fake fur that costs coins to produce , surround people with more dangerous chemicals and get paid for it. 

Plus: a real fur coat is a lifelong piece. It’s not disposable. It’s passed down, worn again, repaired, relined, remembered.

I didn’t kill my faux fur line to make a statement. I killed it because it didn’t align with what I know now. And because luxury that harms the Earth isn’t luxury—it’s just plastic in a pretty shape that gets thrown away..and just stays there..rotting the planet.

We choose legacy. We choose Earth. We choose truth, even when it’s inconvenient.