Though fur and exotic animal skins were once considered the pinnacle of luxury, times have changed and concerns around sustainability and animal welfare have become more pronounced. Last week, French multinational corporation Kering – the parent company of Saint Laurent, Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga – announced that it would be going entirely fur-free, adopting a company-wide fur ban.
The time has now come to take a further step forward by ending the use of fur in all our collections,” stated François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of Kering. “The world has changed, along with our clients, and luxury naturally needs to adapt to that.”
Of Kering’s brands, Gucci was the first to go fur-free, with creative director Alessandro Michele adopting a no-fur policy in 2017. Several Kering-owned fashion houses followed, with Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga quietly phasing fur out of their collections; however the official company fur ban now means Saint Laurent and Brioni will be implementing the policy starting from Fall 2022 onwards.
The news of Kering’s fur ban follows Oscar de la Renta’s decision to phase out fur, one that was brought about by Billie Eilish; the American singer agreed to wear Oscar de la Renta to the Met Gala on the condition that the New York-based fashion house would formally end its use of fur. Amongst the major luxury fashion houses, Stella McCartney is the only one to consistently create her collections with sustainability and animal welfare in mind, with the British fashion designer creating vegetarian-friendly collections since her eponymous label’s inception in 2001.
Words by AR Staff
