Luxury designers Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga ditch fur

Alexander McQueen, a British fashion house, and Balenciaga, a luxury Spanish designer brand, are the newest Kering-owned brands to abandon fur.

Stella McCartney, Armani, Prada, Versace, DKNY, Burberry, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, and Chanel are among the designers who have announced that they will no longer use fur. No-fur initiatives have also been implemented by fashion shopping sites Net-a-Porter and Farfetch.

The news comes as the UK government proposes prohibiting the selling of fur, making Britain the first country in the world to do so, according to Humane Society International.

In 2020, the organization commissioned an opinion poll, which showed that 93 percent of British citizens oppose wearing real animal fur, and 72 percent favor banning the selling of fur in the UK.

Humane Society International, in collaboration with the Humane Society of the United States, is leading the #FurFreeBritain movement to stop the UK’s double standard of exporting fur from fur farms in other countries despite the fact that such farms have been banned in the UK since 2003.

In a release, the CEO of Humane Society International, Kitty Block stated that when a major fashion house, such as Alexander McQueen or Balenciaga, abandons fur, it sends a strong message that fur has no place in modern society.

She added that this is a statement that customers are more concerned with sustainable options than with the fur trim on a bag or a coat. They are excited to continue working with Kering and the rest of the fashion industry to ensure that humane and creative fabrics are the way of the future.

Gucci, a brand owned by Kering, declared a fur ban in 2017, and Bottega Veneta has been fur-free for 20 years. Following the story, the only Kering brands to reveal fur-free strategies are Saint Laurent and Brioni.