Leah Dolan, CNN
The fashion luxury conglomerate behind Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga has banned the use of animal fur across all of its brands by fall 2022.
“The time has now come,” said Kering CEO and Chairman, François-Henri Pinault, in a short statement issued on Friday. “The world has changed, along with our clients, and luxury naturally needs to adapt to that.”
“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,” he noted.
In 2017, Gucci became the first Kering fashion house to commit to eliminating fur from their designs, highlighting social responsibility as one of the brand’s core values. Other brands including Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta have also already moved away from fur.
This next step to definitively abolish fur production across the company comes just two years after Kering published a set of animal welfare standards that aimed to “verify the humane treatment of animals across the Group’s supply chains,” including requirements on “the treatment of cattle, calves, sheep and goats throughout their entire lives.” Anything outlined in 2019, Kering has said, will continue to be applied to other “animal fibres and materials” potentially in use.
The pressure for brands to take further action against animal cruelty has been mounting for years. Earlier this month, Met Gala co-char Billie Eilish negotiated a fur-free pledge from American brand Oscar de la Renta in exchange for sporting their designs on the red carpet.
On Instagram, Eilish wrote: “I am beyond thrilled that the entire (Oscar de la Renta) team heard me on this issue, and have now made a change that makes an impact for the greater good, not only for animals but also for our planet and environment too.
“I urge all designers to do the same,” she said.
Chanel and Prada also announced they would halt the use of fur, making announcements in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Top image: A photo from Alexander McQueen’s Fall-Winter 2015 collection at Paris Fashion Week which included fur. The brand committed to ceasing fur production in April 2021.
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