This week, the Kering Group announced that it will no longer sell fur on any of its subsidiaries, meaning Saint Laurent (formerly Yves Saint Laurent) and Brioni will adopt fur-free policies. Other Kering's brands include Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, and Bottega Veneta have previously adopted their own fur-free policies.
“Kering is synonymous with luxury fashion, and with this announcement, it marks a new era for what is considered luxury to now include what is socially responsible, ethical, and innovative.”
-PJ Smith, HSUS Director of Fashion Policy
Kitty Block, the president and CEO of the Humane Society US and Humane Society International (HSI), welcomed the change, which is a significant blow to the already troubled fur industry. “
As markets worldwide are closing their doors to fur products and opting for substitute products, it does make sense for a power fashion house like Kering to make this change, Block said in a statement. “We couldn't be more proud of our long-standing relationship with Kering and its brands and look forward to continuing our work with them to pave the way for a kinder fashion world.”
Kering is joining a growing number of fashion brands and retailers announcing their abandonment of fur, with Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Mytheresa, Canada Goose, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Tory Burch, Holt Renfrew, Mackage, Moose Knuckles, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga all ao them going fur-free just this year. Kering group is also exploring innovative animal-free materials through a partnership with Bolt Threads, maker of mushroom-derived vegan leather Mylo.
Legislation is also changing on the side of the stoppage of using fur, many regions banning the use of animal material in recent years. In 2019, California became the first state to pass a ban on the manufacture and sale of new fur. The law will go effective on January 1, 2023. Outside of the US, Israel became the first country to ban fur and in the UK, fur farming has been illegal since 2003, the country is considering a fur import and sales ban in the coming months.
Despite fur falling out of favor worldwide, we still have some major brands that remain using fur. LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) group which operates Fendi, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Kenzo, Marc Jacobs, Emilio Pucci, Celine, Loro Piana, Patou, Berluti, and Loewe. Outside of the LVMH group, remaining major brands without fur-free policies include dolce & gabbana, Max Mara, Moncler, and Chloé.
PJ Smith, director of fashion policy for HSUS, hopes that Kering's decision to go fur-free pushes these last-remaining brands to follow suit, which would practically take fur out of luxury fashion for good.
