By the end of 2022, the brands Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta and Yves Saint Laurent will completely abandon the use of fur in their collections.
More and more fashion houses of companies abandon non-ecological and inhumane production of clothes.
Balenciaga is a French fashion house founded by Cristobal Balenciaga in 1917. The brand is now part of the Kering conglomerate, which also owns Gucci, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and other brands.
All the houses of the French group Kering, which combines the brands Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Brioni and Yves Saint Laurent, from the fall of 2022 completely abandon the use of animal fur in their collections. Autumn 2022 brand collections will already be in line with the new policy. This is stated in the message of the group from September 24.
“It’s time to take another step forward and stop using fur in all our collections. The world has changed with our customers, and luxury, of course, must adapt to this,” said Francois-Henri Pino, Chairman and CEO of Kering.
Kering’s decision has already been hailed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), saying it should have been passed “decades ago” and that “no one will wear fur with their hearts.”
“No place for fur in the luxury segment”
Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault said the conglomerate had “strived to be a leader in sustainable development for many years” and adhered to “high environmental and social standards”.
“It’s time to take it one step further and stop using fur in all of our collections. The world has changed, along with our customers, and the luxury segment must adapt to this,” said Pino.
What are the changes
According to The Business of Fashion, Kering wants to reimagine the fashion industry with an ethically and environmentally conscious approach to doing business.
François-Henri Pinault noted that “some materials no longer belong in the luxury segment.” In his opinion, “fur has historically been strongly associated with the luxury industry” and “abandoning it is a good signal of how much is moving towards sustainability in the industry.”
Commenting on the new policy, François-Henri suggested that the conglomerate could “lose some of its customers looking for fur products,” which would “undoubtedly hit” the company.
Kering’s head of sustainability, Marie-Claire Dave, also talked about the “changing consumer base” and the climate crisis that change.
“Young consumers and millennials want companies to pay attention to their values. Says Marie-Claire. – Look what happened this summer (talking about climate change and natural disasters. – Ecolife). How can you say that you don’t care? And if you have influence, how can you say that it is terrible and do nothing? “
Kering began working on the move away from fur in 2017. According to Pino, the company has been phasing out production to avoid being “harsh on the supply chain.”
Gucci was the first to refuse fur, and later Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen. Now only Saint Laurent and Brioni use the material.
Billy Eilish wearing Oscar de la Renta dress in exchange for brand refusal of fur
According to The New York Times, the singer agreed to wear an Oscar de la Renta dress at the Met Gala Costume Institute ball on the condition that the brand completely refuses to use natural fur.
Oscar de la Renta chief executive Alex Bohlen made a decision when he learned that the singer does not work with brands that use fur.
“I thought a lot about what Oscar (Oscar de la Renta, founder of the brand – Ecolife) said – he was a big fan of fur, by the way – the only thing that really bothered him in the fashion industry was his outdated views. I have to surround myself with people with different points of view,” Bohlen said.
Eilish herself said that she was honored to collaborate with the brand. She also encouraged other designers to move away from fur.
“I am more than happy that the whole team listened to me and made changes that positively affect not only animals, but also our planet and the environment. It is an honor for me to be a catalyst and heard in this matter”, wrote Billy on her Instagram.
The New York Times notes, “Eilish is arguably the only Met Gala guest to change the company’s ethical policy by wearing her dress to the ball.”
Earlier, Oscar de la Renta abandoned fur only at shows, continuing to sell it in stores. According to Alex Bohlen, such things accounted for “a significant part of the company’s income”.
In the first 24 hours, the post with gratitude to the brand on Instagram, Billie Eilish, collected more than 17 million likes, and the video with her release on the Met Gala – about 18 million views.
The post became the most watched in the last four months on Billy’s page, and the video was the most viewed during the previous three months.
Which brands have already abandoned the use of animal skins and furs
The first step to abandon fur was taken in 2017 by the Gucci brand. They’re part of the French group Kering.
In 2019, the Kering Group formulated principles for the protection of animals.
The standards regulated the treatment of animals involved in the fashion and textile industries. In particular, the issues of their treatment and the ban on the use of antibiotics were raised. All brands of the group adhered to these standards when working with suppliers of leather, wool and other materials of animal origin.
In 2018, the model house Chanel abandoned products made of exotic animal leather and natural fur.
And in 2020, the Italian fashion house Prada abandoned the use of animal fur in the manufacture of clothing and accessories.
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Beauty does not need sacrifices. You may check the stories of fashion houses that refused to sell fur here.
