Gucci, part of Paris-based luxury group, Kering, has made known its intentions to stop making use of fur in its designs from next year, thus joining a
Gucci, part of Paris-based luxury group, Kering, has made known its intentions to stop making use of fur in its designs from next year, thus joining a growing number of fashion houses looking at alternatives after coming under pressure from animal rights activists and changing consumer tastes. Gucci has paraded models down the catwalk in luxurious fur coats in the past and made loafers and sling-backs lined with kangaroo-fur two years ago. Some of its prized clothing, mink fur coats specifically has been sold for over $40,000. But the brand said it would now join an alliance of fur-free companies, adding that it would sell off remaining accessories and clothing made with it in a charity auction. Marco Bizzarri, Gucci’s chief executive, said the brand would drop it starting from its spring and summer 2018 collection.
Animal rights campaigners said they hoped the move by the Italian fashion house could have a knock-on effect, although it is far from the first label to stop using fur. In June, Yoox Net-A-Porter, a multi-brand online luxury retailer, adopted a fur-free policy on accessories and clothing sold on the site. Italy’s Giorgio Armani last year committed to stop using it, saying technological progress meant there was no longer any justification for cruelty to animals, while U.S. brand Calvin Klein took the plunge in 1994.
Anti-fur protesters have been known to demonstrate outside catwalk shows at fashion weeks around the world to call for an end to practices many see as cruel to animals, and luxury goods buyers. The younger generations have become more sensitive to environmental issues too. Many labels and other luxury groups such as LVMH, owner of Louis Vuitton, are tightening their policies on how leather is sourced from tanneries and how they obtain furs, after a series of scandals over how animals are treated in breeding farms. France’s Hermes was caught in a storm two years ago when a crocodile farm used to supply leather for one of its best-selling handbags was accused of cruel slaughter practices.
