A sporran is based on the medieval purse, a bag with a simple drawstring that was used to carry everything from money to small weapons. Early sporrans were made from leather or skin. Deer and calf were popular. By the 14th century, sporrans were more elaborate in design as they came to have a fashionable as well as practical use. From the 18th century, sporrans were fitted with metal clasps, usually of brass, or silver for a clan chief. The elaborate clasps became works of art in themselves. Around the same period, a goat-hair sporran molach -a hairy sporran-was introduced by the military. These often had flap tops and large tassels and featured a variety of furs and hair, such as fox and horse, or occasionally sealskin, set off with a badger's head. Horsehair sporrans were worn as regimental attire. Dress sporrans have been made from sealskin since the 18th century, but there is already a ban on the use of badger heads, wild cat heads, otter skin and Arctic fox fur. Sealskin is now to join these banned products. Alternatives include pony hide much to the shock of animal lovers