A model in a Lacroix creation in Paris. (AP)

Paris, March 1 (Reuters): Either love it or hate it — fur is dividing the Paris fashion scene this season.

Big labels such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Valentino or Christian Lacroix celebrated the return of fur with a selection of trimmed coats this week, winning praise from luxury brands. “There has always been fur,” Gaultier said, after rapturous applause for a long coat combing fur segments with tartan.

“It’s not a return but a continuation of fur. I’m always proposing it. Fur is a material that has not been replaced for the moment,” Gaultier said at his Paris fashion week show.

But other designers say women who wear mink, fox or sable coats have animals’ suffering on their conscience, supporting the arguments of naked animal rights activists who tried to disrupt some fur-heavy shows this week.

“I totally disagree with any electrocuted animals on people’s backs,” Britain’s Stella McCartney said after her fur-free ready-to-wear show today, in which she presented floating woollen cardigans and cashmere tops.

Her collection of knitted overalls and big-hooded anoraks worn with mini skirts struck a contrast to the range of fur-collared coats Lacroix and Valentino presented yesterday.