Chanel is the latest brand to turn its back on fur

Score another victory for animal rights groups: Chanel is the latest fashion giant to swear off fur and exotic animal skins from reptiles. The French brand announced its cruelty-free approach Monday after pressure from animal advocates, who have swayed designers, cities, magazines, and fashion shows to ban fur and similar items in recent years.

In a statement, a Chanel spokesperson said the company has turned away from fur and the like for ethical reasons.

“At Chanel, we are continually reviewing our supply chains to ensure they meet our expectations of integrity and traceability,” the official said. “In this context, it is our experience that it is becoming increasingly difficult to source exotic skins which match our ethical standards.”

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) applauded Chanel’s move, arguing that apparel made from animals is unnecessary today, thanks to technological advancements that “have made faux fur and vegan leather nearly indistinguishable from animal pelts and skins.”

A slew of fashion brands have moved away from fur
Fur was once seen as the epitome of glamour, but the movement to sway the public not to wear animal pelts and skins has grown markedly since the 1980s. Karl Lagerfeld, who became Chanel’s creative director in 1983, played a direct role in marketing these products as must-haves for the elite. While working at Fendi, another luxury fashion house, he used the mole, rabbit, and squirrel pelts in his designs, according to CNN.

But today the tide is changing. Since 2016, high-end fashion brands such as Gucci, Burberry, Michael Kors, Tom Ford, DKNY, Furla, Versace, and Giorgio Armani have stopped designing fur products or have announced plans to phase out fur. Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren are also fur-free, and London Fashion Week made headlines in September by announcing that no fur would be featured in any collection. And this year, cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles decided to ban the sale of fur.

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Jean Paul Gaultier bans fur

Jean Paul Gaultier has become the latest fashion designer to ban fur products from his collections. 

The designer announced his decision on live on French television where he claimed that the way animals are killed for their fur was “absolutely deplorable”.

Mimi Bekhechi, director of international programmes at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), said that the decision is a result of mounting pressure from the organisation and that it is a “sign of changed times”.

 All the places around the world where fur clothing is banned

She said that his announcement came after years of protests against the designer's use of fur "including a Peta member being tossed out of his Fashion Week show in 2002 after causing a runway ruckus with her anti-fur message, as well as  takeover of his Paris boutique in 2006 led by Peta founder Ingrid Newkirk". 

She added: “The iconic designer now joins Gucci, Versace, Galliano, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, and just about every major house in banning fur from his collections.

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Coach is the latest fashion brand to ban fur from its collections

Coach has become the latest fashion brand to announce that it’s no longer going to be manufacturing clothing using fur.

The American luxury fashion label has stated that it’s going to stop using animal fur completely by autumn next year, with plans to phase it out until then.

Joshua Schulman, chief executive of Coach, explains that the decision was made in response to the growing concern among shoppers about the use of animal fur in the fashion industry.

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All the places around the world where fur clothing is banned
“We understood from our employee population and from our consumers that it was important to them that we take a stand on this issue,” he tells Business of Fashion.

“We’re doing it because we believe it’s the right thing to do.”

All types of animal fur will be banned by Coach as part of the new regulation, including mink, coyote, fox and rabbit.

However, the ban doesn’t include all types of animal products, as the brand will still use shearling, mohair and angora during its production process.

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Has fur become acceptable again?

Not so long ago, it was more acceptable to smoke next to a baby than it was to sport a coat made from fox, mink or chinchilla. Such was public disgust, those who did venture out in a pelt were likely to find themselves deluged with red paint.

But how times have changed. Once taboo, fur is now a regular sight on the catwalk, with labels such as Armani, Temperley and Vionnet using it in their collections.

So what does that mean for the rest of us? Is fur now OK to wear?

No, say PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals], who point to a recent Times News Service poll which found that 95 per cent of British women say they wouldn't wear fur.

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