Italian fashion house Gucci is to
follow in the footsteps of Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Stella
McCartney, Yoox Net-a-Porter, Cos, H&M, OVS and Zara and go
fur-free next year, according to president and CEO Marco
Bizzarri.
The company will stop using animal fur in its collections as
of spring/summer 2018, Bizzarri said during Kering Talk 2017 at
the London College of Fashion.
Kering is the international luxury group of which Gucci is a
subsidiary.
The CEO said animal fur has gone "out of fashion" and
reiterated Gucci's "absolute commitment to making sustainability
an intrinsic part of our business".
He also pledged to donate revenue from sales of its remaining
fur items to animal rights associations such as Humane Society
International (HSI) and Italy's Anti-vivisection League (LAV).
Kitty Block, president of HSI, welcomed the move as a
"compassionate decision".
"Gucci going fur-free is a huge game-changer," she said in a
statement.
"For this Italian powerhouse to end the use of fur because of
the cruelty involved will have a huge ripple effect throughout
the world of fashion".
"Respect for animals is increasingly rooted in people's
values and the big names in fashion are gradually introducing
policies of social responsibility in this direction," echoed
Simone Pavesi of LAV.
Carla Rocchi, president of the National League for Animal
Protection (ENPA), expressed her "gratitude" to Gucci after
writing to Bizzarri in August to call for an end to the use of
fur.
On that occasion she raised the problem of Finnish fur farms
that are reportedly breeding arctic foxes to an unhealthy size.
Kering Talk 2017 is a five-year collaboration between the
Kering Group and the London College of Fashion.
It includes an annual Award for Sustainable Fashion for young
talent.
This year the award went to Laure Fernandez, Charlie
Wilkinson, Dianjen Lin and Jennifer Kusowski, who will perform
internships with Gucci and Stella McCartney, another brand owned
by the Kering Group.
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