Fashion house Prada has announced that it is to stop using fur from next year. A message on the company’s Twitter account reads; “As part of the #PradaGroup, #Prada has announced, in collaboration with the @FurFreeAlliance, that it will no longer use animal fur in its designs or new products, starting with #PradaSS20 Women’s collections. #PradaGroupFurFree#FurFreeRetailer#FutureofFashion#FurFree.”
Animal fur will not be used in its designs or new products, but items already made will continue to be sold. At the time of posting items on Prada’s website included a fox fur hat at £1,355, fabric and fur gloves at £1,265, a mink fur headband at £1,265, and a cardigan with mink inserts for £2,775. The change will take effect in the spring-summer 2020 women’s collection and also covers the brands Miu Miu, Church’s and Car Shoe.
FFA
Joh Vinding, chairman of the Fur Free Alliance (FFA), a coalition of more than 50 animal protection organisations, said: “The Prada group with its brands now joins a growing list of fur-free brands that are responding to consumers’ changing attitudes towards animals.” Brigit Oele, programme manager for Fur Free Alliance, said: “Prada Group was one of the fastest companies to go fur-free once positive dialogue began a little more than a year ago.”
The head of the fashion house, Miuccia Prada, said: “Focusing on innovative materials will allow the company to explore new boundaries of creative design while meeting the demand for ethical products”.
Last year campaigners stepped up their calls for Prada to stop using fur when it was selling jackets made of fox and minx fur. British luxury goods maker Burberry recently announced that it would stop using real fur in its products and would phase out existing fur items, while luxury fashion brand Gucci stopped using fur in 2018, as did Versace. Michael Kors, Chanel, Coach, Donna Karan, Diane von Furstenberg and Jimmy Choo have all banned fur in recent years, joining other top designers including Hugo Boss, Armani and Tommy Hilfiger in opting for synthetic materials instead.
Zeitgeist
Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International UK, said: “Prada’s decision puts the writing on the wall and makes clear that the fur trade is on borrowed time. Fashion leaders like Prada, Gucci and Burberry are clear that fur has had its day. It leaves a shrinking list of designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana looking hugely isolated and out of step with the anti-fur zeitgeist.”
More than 100,000 members of the public signed a petition last year calling for a fur ban which triggered a parliamentary debate on the issue, and another 400,000-strong petition was handed in to Downing Street in March 2018 by Queen guitarist and animal rights campaigner Brian May.
Fur farming was banned in the UK in 2000, but it is legal to sell some types of real fur that have been imported, if they are accurately labelled. However, MPs have called for a ban on all sales of real fur.
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