The French fashion conglomerate Kering has announced that it is going completely fur-free starting their 2022 autumn collections.
As one of the largest luxury companies in the world, Kering’s decision for all of its brands to stop using any kind of animal fur demonstrates how consumer demand for sustainable clothing and accessories is increasing, as well as setting the tone in the industry.
“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,” says Francois-Henri Pinault, chief executive of Kering.
“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 the use of fur in all our collections. The world has changed, along with our clients, and luxury naturally needs to adapt to that.”
Gucci was the first brand in the Kering group to announce it was eliminating fur in 2017, and since then a number of other brands have followed suit, with Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Brioni and Saint Laurent progressively removing animal pelts from their collections. In 2019, Kering formalised and published a set of animal welfare standards that will continue to be applied, as they concern other animal fibres and materials.
Even as fur coats have become a rare sight on the runway in recent years, some luxury brands do continue to use the material for accessories, or as a decorative feature on clothing.
The Humane Society praised Kering’s decision and urged other fashion houses to follow. “The announcement is a significant blow to the declining fur trade and puts pressure on the few remaining fashion brands that continue to sell fur to follow suit,” the organisation said.
