09/12/18 Burberry drops fur from their collections, consumers call for Prada to do the same
Fashion without fur due to the customers' and designers' awareness
- London Fashion Week designers will also not present collections with animal fur
Ahead of Fashion Weeks in world fashion capitals, the subject matter of using animal fur in fashion has become a very popular topic again. Burberry announced removing fur from its collections. London Fashion Week organizers stated it will be the first significant event during which no fashion designer will present collections with animal fur, and consumers around the world are actively asking Prada to permanently drop fur from their collections.
Burberry, a well known British fashion brand, made public the decision to stop using animal fur shortly before their new creative director Riccardo Tisci was introduced. Burberry's CEO Marco Gobbetti commented: “Modern luxury means being socially and environmentally responsible. This belief is core to us at Burberry and key to our long-term success.“ In addition to fur, Burberry also announced angora will be dropped as well and the unsold items will stop being burned.
At the same time, numerous consumers around the world supported by the international Fur Free Alliance coalition, whose members are Animal Friends Croatia, have joined forces in asking Prada to make the decision of stopping using animal fur in their collections. The world campaign was also supported by the Care2 website with the petition, asking Prada to join brands such as Gucci, Versace, Armani, Michael Kors, Donna Karan and HUGO BOSS who have already made this decision. The world campaign began shortly before the Fashion Weeks, which run from September to October in New York, London, Milan and Paris.
Apart from the fact that the animals suffer extremely on the farms where they are bred for fur, living short lives in the small cages without the possibility of expressing their natural behaviour, fur production is extremely harmful to the environment as well. Such farms and tanneries destroy the land and water streams by dumping waste and poisonous chemicals into the environment. Some of the animals used for fur are also hunted by traps, harming other animals who happen to get caught in them as well.
The consumers' awareness of the issues related to the use of fur is increasing in numbers. Most consumers no longer want to support such practice and industry, and fashion companies include decisions about stopping using fur while writing their sustainability policies. The number of countries that, like Croatia, have banned fur farming imposed other legal restrictions, is growing as well. In neighbouring Serbia, the ban should come into effect on January 1st 2019. Cities like San Francisco and São Paulo prohibited the sale of fur in their areas, while the same is currently discussed in Los Angeles and the United Kingdom, which had prohibited fur farming years ago.
Fur Free Alliance's chairman, Joh Vinding, commented: “Consumers are supporting companies that care about animal protection, which is why so many of Prada’s competitors have gone fur-free. Prada should join other fashion leaders and go fur-free instead of supporting the extreme animal suffering that is all too common in the fur trade.“
Some of the Croatian designers who are partners of the Fur Free Retailer program are: Boudoir, Hippy Garden, I-GLE, Image Haddad and many others, and the Animal Friends Croatia association invites everyone to join petitioning Prada to drop fur at the Fur Free Alliance coalition website: www.furfreealliance.com/prada-fur-free