Gucci ditches fur
Italian luxury giant Gucci announced on Wednesday a new and unexpected move: the leading global fashion house has announced it will no longer use animal fur, beginning with its spring summer 2018 collection. “Today the world is changing so fast, it’s not even an option not to change,” Bizzarri stated during his announcement. “We are not perfect, but we are doing our best to improve what we are doing.”
Gucci’s President & CEO, Marco Bizzarri, announced the fur-free policy on Wednesday, October 11th during the 2017 Kering Talk at The London College of Fashion. This is a decision that contrasts with the use of the leather that has been making the label, which came to make a success their moccasins with bare heels and hair in the interior at the end of 2015 and has among their mini fur coats for about 28,000 euros. “It’s not modern”, Gucci’s president and CEO, Marco Bizarri, replied to Business of Fashion question about whether or not to continue to use animal skins at current date. “Creativity can jump in many different directions instead of using furs”.
“Being socially responsible is one of the core values of our brand, and we will continue to strive to improve the environment and the good treatment of animals. We hope this calls for innovation and awareness raising, for a better fashion and luxury industry”, declared the president to the US Humanitarian Society (HSUS).
The news story broke at this year’s Kering Talk at the London College of Fashion, where Gucci CEO, Marco Bizzarri announced that the fur-free policy will begin with the company’s 2018 spring collection. Gucci’s fur-free policy includes mink, coyote, raccoon dog, fox, rabbit, and karakul (otherwise known as Swakara, Persian lamb or astrakhan) and all others species specially bred or caught for fur. “When we chose a new creative director we wanted someone to share the belief of importance in values,” added Bizarri about the union of the firm to the Fur-Free Alliance organization.
This development “demonstrates our absolute commitment to make sustainable development an inseparable element of our activity,” said Bizzarri, who has also ensured that the revenues obtained from the auctions of the latest Gucci leather garments will be delivered to the defense organizations Human Rights International (HSI) and LAV (Italy).
No more leather: Gucci
The company joins many other leading fashion brands and retailers in going fur-free—including Armani, Hugo Boss, Yoox Net-a-Porter, Stella McCartney and more—and will be part of the international Fur Free Retailer Program.
PJ Smith, senior manager of fashion policy for The HSUS, said: “Gucci’s decision is a game-changing moment in the fashion industry. We’ll look back at this moment, I predict, and see that this was the turning point when the business world turned away from fur and substituted cruelty-free garments in its place.”
Simone Pavesi, manager of animal free fashion for LAV, said: “Gucci’s decision will radically change the future of fashion. Respect for animals is becoming more entrenched in people’s values and the great names of fashion are gradually implementing social responsibility policies to reflect that. As fashion becomes more and more ethical, supply chains that revolve around animals will be a thing of the past.”
Marco Bizzarri, Gucci’s President & CEO, said: “Being socially responsible is one of Gucci’s core values, and we will continue to strive to do better for the environment and animals. With the help of HSUS and LAV, Gucci is excited to take this next step and hopes it will help inspire innovation and raise awareness, changing the luxury fashion industry for the better (…) We’ve been talking to Alessandro Michele over the past few months. The technology we have now presents endless opportunities in terms of fabrics and it would be a mistake for us not to take the lead. We need to invest in these start up because they can revolutionize the sector in terms of sustainability, achieving the same quality of leathe “- declared Bizzarri to the WWD newspaper. This gesture of Gucci, part of the conglomerate of luxury fashion Kering, “changes the landscape” and “will have a huge contagion effect in the world of fashion” -said HSI president, Kitty Block, in a press release.
Joh Vinding, Chairman of Fur Free Alliance, said: “For decades animals in the fur industry has been subjected to intense cruelty, living their entire lives in miserable, filthy cages. Gucci’s new fur free policy marks a game-changer for the whole luxury fashion industry to follow. Gucci is taking a bold stand for animals, showing the world that the future of fashion is fur-free.”
+ info: Gucci / Humane Society
