The special six-page supplement appearing in Vogue around the world is expected to reach 15m consumers and will run in the September issue of Vogue in 11 countries including the US and UK. It will also appear in the China edition of Cosmopolitan.
US Vogue editor Anna Wintour has been a regular target of anti-fur campaigners in the US including Peta, which has featured the Vogue editor in an anti-Fur ad with the strapline "Fur is worn by beautiful animals and ugly people".
"We scoured photo agencies for the shot that most accurately reflects Anna's selfish, cruel nature, and although there were many candidates, this one summed it up best," said Dan Mathews, Peta's vice-president of campaigns.
In the past an activist dumped a dead raccoon on Wintour's plate as she dined at the Four Seasons in New York and she was parodied by cross-dressers in a "Fur Is a Drag" revue.
Andreas Lenhart, IFTF chairman, said: "Vogue is easily one of the most recognised international trend setters. We are delighted to work with them on this year's promotion 'Fur Ever' which rightly highlights fur as an essential fashion choice."
Pete Harris, spokesperson from the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade, said: "Most people do not want to buy or wear real fur so the IFTF are free to spend millions promoting it in Vogue but it won't make that much difference to consumers who do not want to wear dead animals."
The 2004 campaign features fur haute couture collections from leading designers including Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Missoni, Prada and Louis Vuitton.
The ads were shot by renowned fashion photographer Pamela Hanson who said: "It was fun to be able to shoot fur in a modern fashionable way that people can relate to."
The campaign is the third annual global promotion by IFTF as fur sales have been increasing steadily over the past five years.
The campaign promoting fur comes as German actress Franka Potente, who stars alongside Matt Damon in the 'The Bourne Supremecy', appears nude -- save for her tattoos -- in the provocative "Ink, Not Mink!" ad campaign for Peta. Top German punk rocker Bela B. appears alongside Franka in the ad, showing off his own tattooed torso.
Potente, who achieved critical acclaim with her 1998 film 'Run Lola Run', said: "I cannot understand why people wear coats that are made out of 70 dead animals. It is old-fashioned, it doesn't belong in our time, and it's cruel! I would never do this."
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