Is Gucci's fur ban a watershed moment for fashion?

Fur on Gucci catwalk SS18

By its very nature, things change fast in fashion but if you had cast an eye over the catwalk images of Gucci’s SS18 collection, shown at Milan fashion week in September, then you would never have guessed that just weeks later the Italian fashion house would be announcing a ban on fur.

Here was a full mink coat in the style beloved by glamorous Italian grande dames and Margot Tennenbaum alike, there was a jacquard cardigan with fur-trimmed collar and wrist details while another look comprised a glittery red jacket with white yeti fur sleeves. If you adored fur, then you would have been offered plenty of options.

But last night Gucci’s President and CEO Marco Bizzari announced that the label would be eliminating fur from its collections, starting from the SS18 collection’s arrival in shops. Gucci will join the Fur Free Alliance and also announced that it will auction the remainder of its items which include fur and donate the proceeds to Italian animal rights charity LAV and the Humane Society.

“After more than 20 years of PETA protests against Gucci's kangaroo-fur loafers and seal-fur boots, Gucci has finally pledged to join Armani, Ralph Lauren, and Stella McCartney in the ranks of fur-free fashion houses,” says Ingrid Newkirk, founder of PETA. “The writing was on the wall: Today's shoppers don't want to wear the skins of animals who were caged, then electrocuted or bludgeoned to death. Until all animal skins and coats are finally off the racks of clothing stores worldwide, PETA will keep up the pressure on the clothing and fashion industry.”

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