In recent years, many fashion houses have chosen to ban fur from their collections. A look back at a growing phenomenon.
When it comes to fur, several clans clash. On the one hand, the good students, masterfully led by Stella mccartney – vegan, the British designer has never used raw materials of animal origin, proving to the fashion world that style can (also) rhyme with ecological awareness. On the other hand, the brands which (better late than never) jump on the bandwagon and say stop to fur when they used to happily use it before.
Green-washing or awareness?
In 2021, several houses have chosen to forgo use animal hair in their collections. This is particularly the case of the Kering group, which owns, among others, Balenciaga, Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Brioni and Saint Laurent. “Kering has made the decision to stop using animal fur. From the fall-winter 2022-2023 collections, none of the group’s houses will use fur.”, said François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering, in a press release published at the end of September 2021.
In December 2021, Armani, signatory of the fashion pact presented to the G7 in 2019, announced stop using angora from the fall-winter 2022-2023 season. Same story with Valentino : “We are making great strides in the search for alternative materials with a view to paying more attention to the environment for future collections”, explained Jacopo Venturini, general manager of the brand, specifying that the fur would completely disappear from the collections at the beginning of the year 2022.
Canada Goose, known for its coyote fur hooded puffer jackets, is also changing course, in accordance with the sustainable objectives plan Humanature which aims in particular to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2025. Oscar de la Renta made the same decision in October 2021, even though fur was an integral part of the American label’s collections. Among the houses that have, or will, say no to animal raw materials, we also count, Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, Prada or Versace.
Some brands go even further, and decide not to create any faux fur piece. As American content creator Jenny Walton explained in the podcast Fashion No Filter (February 2019), it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the true from the false; choosing not to wear either one therefore avoids any confusion.
Most brands are far from making the decision to stop fur on a whim. The association PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) indeed plays a major role in their choices. “Years of campaigning by PETA and other animal rights activists have led big brands, designers and entire countries to outlaw fur.”, could we read in a press release relayed in December 2021.
Consumer demand
“Fashion has always been connected to trends and emotions to anticipate the desires of consumers”, remarked Marco Bizzarri, Chairman and CEO of Gucci. It is therefore a fundamental movement, which accompanies the rise of new diets without animal products. Fur ? Easier to eliminate from personal consumption than leather, for example. According to a study carried out in August 2020 by theIfop and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, 77% of French people questioned are in favor of the ban on breeding animals for the sole purpose of marketing their fur. “Today’s fashion consumers don’t want products from an industry where fully aware, terrified, agonizing rabbits have their hairs plucked out with large handfuls.”, underlined Mimi Bekhechi, vice president of international programs of PETA, in a press release released in December 2021.
What about the press?
The magazine SHE announced, at the end of 2021, that its 45 international editions will now exclude fur from its shootings and its pages. The publication joins the (too) short list of magazines that have already made this decision – British Vogue, InStyle USA or Cosmopolitan UK. “A great step forward at a time when this archaic and bloody matter is in a downward spiral from which it will never go back”, PETA said in a statement released in December 2021. The battle promises to be long and tedious, but judging by the association’s many communications, it is worth fighting.