French fashion behemoth Kering has taken the decision to completely stop using animal fur starting with the fall 2022 collections. Four years ago the company`s mega-brand Gucci declared fur outdated and stopped using its` materials across all its` labels. This was followed by Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta and with the banning of fur use at Saint Laurent and Brioni, the luxury group is now implementing a fur-free policy across all its` labels.
Making the announcement, Company Chairman and CEO Francois – Henri Pinault said, “for many years, Kering has sought to take the lead in sustainability, guided by a vision of luxury that is inseparable from the very highest environmental and social values and standards. When it comes to animal welfare, our Group has always demonstrated its` willingness to improve practices within its` own supply chain and the luxury sector in general. The time has now come to take a further step forward by ending use of fur in all our collections. The world has changed, along with our clients, and luxury naturally needs to adapt to that”.
The move is a big win for animal rights and the hope is Kering will inspire other players in the sector and beyond to hold them in higher regard. Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatrment of Animals (PETA) welcomed it after what it called a “decades long” push to get Kering to ban the use of fur. They have called on another fashion industry colossus Moet Hennessey Louis Vouitton (LVMH) to follow Kering and ban fur stating, “why is Louis Vouitton still keeping skins of tortured animals in collections?” LVMH told AFP news agency that its` fur products were being made in the most ethical and responsible way possible and that it would not use fur from endangered species.
