LONDON—In an interview with The Economist, 1843 Magazine Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace said “Fur? I am out of that. I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion. It doesn’t feel right.”
The luxury brand has historically included lots of fur across its ranges, from a variety of species including mink and raccoon dog. Its autumn / winter 2017 collection included laser cut mink and fox coats. Versace joins top designers such as Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Armani, Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren, Vivienne Westwood, Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci, all of whom have banned fur from their collections.
Humane Society International, which campaigns globally for an end to the fur trade, and in the UK leads the #FurFreeBritain campaign calling for a UK fur imports ban, has welcomed the news.
Claire Bass Executive Director of Humane Society International (HSI) UK said: “Versace is a massively influential luxury brand that symbolises excess and glamour, and so its decision to stop using fur shows that compassionate fashion has never been more on trend. Versace is following in the footsteps of fellow fashion giants Gucci and Michael Kors who have dropped fur in the last six months. Such influential brands turning their backs on cruel fur makes the few designers like Fendi and Burberry who are still peddling fur look increasingly out of touch and isolated.”
Kitty Block, President of Humane Society International, said: “The news that Versace is dropping fur is the latest in a wave of powerful fur-free messages from the very top end of the luxury fashion world. It’s clear these designers recognize that designing, wearing and promoting fur is outdated and obnoxious, and by taking the brand in this new fur-free direction, Donatella Versace is showing that she really does have her finger on the pulse. Modern consumers don’t want to be associated with the suffering and death of one hundred million animals a year for the fur industry.”
Versace’s announcement follows after 31 of Britain’s biggest stars, including Dame Judi Dench and Sir Andy Murray, wrote to UK Prime Minister Theresa May in support of the #FurFreeBritain campaign. Their letter urges her to introduce a UK ban on animal-fur imports. Fur farming has been illegal in the UK since 2000, but since then Britain has imported more than £650 million worth of fur from countries such as China and Poland, where animals are typically bred in appalling conditions on fur farms.
A full list of fur-free retailers and designers can be seen here: https://furfreeretailer.com/.
ENDS
United Kingdom: Wendy Higgins: whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423
United States: Kirsten Peek kpeek@humanesociety.org
Canada: Christopher Paré – office: 514 395-2914 x 206 / cell: 438 402-0643, email: cpare@hsi.org