Fashion

These Luxury Labels are Helping the Environment by Going Fur-Free

This Earth Month, consider ditching the fur and going for more sustainable alternatives—these luxury labels have. 

a model in the prada fall/winter 2021 show wears a faux fur coat and black boots and walks on a furry white carpet

Once upon a time, fur was an indicator of true luxury. Major fashion houses sourced exotic furs from all of over the world. For years, fur was so essential to style that there was an entire money-making industry surrounding it. However, as times changed wearing mink around your neck or fox fur around your wrists became an indicator of something entirely different: animal cruelty and unethical practices. Fur farming has resulted in countless animals losing their lives for the sake of garment production. As activists became increasingly aware of the fashion world's demand for fur farming, they fervently condemned notable brands, calling them out for such an unsustainable, harmful process.

In recent years, sustainability has taken center stage within the fashion realm. There has been a conscious effort to create clothing that does not trigger a domino effect of environmental damage. In the wake of this movement towards sustainable acts and ethical initiatives, notable bands like Prada, Stella McCartney, and Versace have sworn off fur completely. This detachment from the fur industry is symptomatic of a major shift in fashion, one that might ultimately lead to an entirely fur-free future. In honor of Earth Month, find out which designer labels have sworn off fur, showing that faux is just as luxurious.

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At the end of 2021, Kering Group announced that all of their brands would be going fur free by the Fall/Winter 2022 season in an effort to incorporate more sustainable practices into their business. This includes houses such as Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, and Bottega Veneta. Photo: Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2022.
Valentino opted to go fur-free beginning with their Spring/Summer 2022 collection. Photo: Valentino Fall/Winter 2022.
Miu Miu's playful fur accessories and clothes have been faux since Miuccia Prada took the Prada Group fur-free for Spring/Summer 2020. Photo: Miu MIu Fall/Winter 2022.
"The Prada Group is committed to innovation and social responsibility, and our fur-free policy– reached following a positive dialogue with the Fur Free Alliance, in particular with LAV and the Humane Society of the United States– is an extension of that engagement," Prada said of the decision. Photo: Prada Fall/Winter 2022.
NYC-based designer Phillip Lim committed to going fur-free in 2019. Photo: Philip Lim Fall/Winter 2022.
Coach pledged to stop using fur in its collections in 2018. Photo: Coach Fall/Winter 2022.
Beginning with Creative Director Ricardo Tisci's tenure at the British fashion house, Burberry has been fur-free since 2018. Photo: Burberry Fall/Winter 2022.
Michael Kors dropped fur in 2018. Photo: Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2022.
"Fur? I am out of that. I don't want to kill animals to make fashion. It doesn't feel right," Donatella Versace said in 2018. Photo: Versace Fall/Winter 2022.
Since its Spring/Summer 2018 collection, all furry looks at Gucci have been faux. Photo: Gucci Fall/Winter 2022.
All labels under the Armani Group stopped using genuine fur in 2016. Photo: Emporio Armani Fall/Winter 2022.
Another designer passionate about the environment, Vivienne Westwood was an early adopter of the fur-free movement and hasn't used it her collections since 2007. Photo: Vivienne Westwood Fall/Winter 2022.
Sustainably led since the beginning, Stella McCartney has never used real fur. Photo: Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2022.

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