SHANGHAI, 5 JULY 2018 – Three top China fashion designers announced their commitment to an entirely fur-free future at ACTAsia’s Fur-Free Fashion Forum and Gala in Shanghai last month.

Grace Chen, Mary Ma, and Michael Wong have all signed up to the Fur Free Retailer scheme (FFR). They join almost 40 fashion labels and designers from China, who help make up an ever-growing global total that currently numbers 886. Today also marks the launch of a pioneering new Chinese Fur Free Retailer website with news and updates for members and supporters of the FFR scheme in China.

Grace Chen, whose clients include Oprah Winfrey and China’s first lady Peng Liyuan, states

“As fashion designers we can come up with plenty of ideas to replace the qualities of fur that people used to love, and offer many alternatives. In China we would love to use fashion as a common language for people across the world, promoting fur-free. Live with your heart, and without fur.”

Movie star and fashion label owner Michael Wong also commented to media:

“We are proud to announce that this year our collections will be Fur Free. There’s no need for the exploitation and pollution that comes with real fur – the choice of faux fur is extensive and beautiful.”

Jerri Ng, editor of fashion magazine InStyle China, also took the opportunity to announce at the Shanghai events that this celebrated title would become China’s first fur-free publication.

ACTAsia, an international non-profit organisation, has been working to educate the public and retailers in China about compassionate consumption for more than a decade. The high level of support seen this year marks a turning-point for the acceptable face of fashion. As the hub of the global fur trade, producing the largest number of pelts with the biggest market for fur clothing, China’s new direction reflects how fashions are moving away from fur across the world.

ACTAsia’s CEO, Pei Su, said:

“We are very proud that several big names in fashion have joined the movement against real fur and taken part in our events, which help publicise the reasons fur has no future. Sustainable, responsible, fur-free – these terms are becoming a prerequisite for fashion labels with self-respect, and the respect of the public.”

The Fur Free Alliance Celebrates Michael Kors for Being Latest International Brand to Drop Fur

NEW YORK (15 December 2017) – Michael Kors Holdings Limited, a global fashion luxury group, today announced that it will no longer use animal fur in its products, with production being phased out by the end of December 2018. With this announcement, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo have joined the international Fur Free Retailer Program.

“I am pleased to announce our company’s commitment to no longer use animal fur in our Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo collections,” said John D. Idol, the Company’s Chairman and CEO. “This decision marks a new chapter as our company continues to evolve its use of innovative materials.”

“Due to technological advances in fabrications, we now have the ability to create a luxe aesthetic using non-animal fur,” said designer Michael Kors. “We will showcase these new techniques in our upcoming runway show in February.”

Joh Vinding, Chairman of the Fur Free Alliance, said:

“The Fur Free Alliance congratulates Michael Kors for this monumental achievement. It’s becoming increasingly clear that fashion companies and consumers alike want nothing to do with unnecessary animal cruelty, especially when innovative alternatives are available.”

Michael Kors joins Gucci, Armani, Yoox Net-a-Porter, Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss as fur-free leaders in luxury fashion.

LONDON – 11 OCTOBER 2017 – The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and LAV, along with the Fur Free Alliance (FFA), are pleased that the leading global fashion house Gucci has announced it will no longer use animal fur, beginning with its spring-summer 2018 collection. Gucci’s President & CEO Marco Bizzarri announced the fur-free policy today during the 2017 Kering Talk at The London College of Fashion.

Gucci’s commitment follows a long-standing relationship with The HSUS and LAV – members of the international Fur Free Alliance – and includes mink, coyote, raccoon dog, fox, rabbit, and karakul (otherwise known as Swakara, Persian lamb or astrakhan) and all others species specially bred or caught.

HSUS and LAV will continue to support Gucci in identifying and reducing its impact on animals and the environment.

The company joins many other leading fashion brands and retailers in going fur-free – including Armani, HUGO BOSS, Yoox Net-a-Porter, Stella McCartney and more – and will be part of the international Fur Free Retailer Program.

Marco Bizzarri, Gucci’s President & CEO, said:

“Being socially responsible is one of Gucci’s core values, and we will continue to strive to do better for the environment and animals. With the help of HSUS and LAV, Gucci is excited to take this next step and hopes it will help inspire innovation and raise awareness, changing the luxury fashion industry for the better.”

Joh Vinding, Chairman of Fur Free Alliance, said:

“For decades animals in the fur industry has been subjected to intense cruelty, living their entire lives in miserable, filthy cages. Gucci’s new fur free policy marks a game-changer for the whole luxury fashion industry to follow. Gucci is taking a bold stand for animals, showing the world that the future of fashion is fur-free.”

PJ Smith, senior manager of fashion policy for The HSUS, said:

“With this announcement, Gucci will help to change the way the luxury fashion industry considers animals. There is a growing segment of new, ethically-minded consumers who care about innovation and social responsibility and want nothing to do with outdated and inherently cruel products, like fur. Gucci understands this and will likely reap the benefits as a result.”

Simone Pavesi, manager of animal free fashion for LAV, said:

“Gucci’s decision will radically change the future of fashion. Respect for animals is becoming more entrenched in people’s values and the great names of fashion are gradually implementing social responsibility policies to reflect that. As fashion becomes more and more ethical, supply chains that revolve around animals will be a thing of the past.”

20 SEPTEMBER 2017 – The Fur Free Retailer program welcomes YOOX NET-A- PORTER as the 750th apparel company to join the program since its formation in 2006. The program is run in more than 20 countries worldwide by the Fur Free Alliance, an international coalition of animal protection organisations, and looks to connect fur-free influencers – like Giorgio Armani, HUGO BOSS, H&M and Inditex – to consumers seeking ethical goods. In celebration of the milestone, the program will be introducing a new brand identity and website.

The brand refresh comes at a time when a growing number of fashion giants are publicly embracing animal welfare with fur-free policies. INDITEX, the parent company to Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Pull and Bear, among others, and one of the early major fashion companies to join the program, says:

“The Fur Free Retailer Program is a pioneering initiative in the campaign to promote animal protection, providing a very positive impact on animal welfare and on the fashion retail industry. Inditex has a strong sense of responsibility and we are proud both of our long-standing commitment to fur-free fashion and our close partnership with the FFA, which has helped us to extend best practice to our suppliers and lead by example.”

Often, the decision to drop fur follows an educational process with the Fur Free Alliance and companies realise there is no humane way to keep wild animals in cages for their entire lives and the fur industry is too self-regulated and nontransparent. For the fashion multinational H&M, according to Mutlu Toksoz, H&M’s Sustainability Business Expert, the adoption of a fur-free policy was an ethical decision:

“H&M has a long-time ban on fur and we are working to end the killing of animals for their fur.”

Before announcing its fur-free policy with FFA members this summer, the $2 billion online luxury retailer YOOX Net-A-Porter surveyed more than 25,000 clients and found that a majority said they wanted YNAP to end its fur sales. The announcement of the most prominent retailer to drop fur “could have a knock-on effect across the fashion industry”, according to Newsweek. Brigit Oele, Fur Free Retailer Program Manager, says:

“There is an ongoing worldwide shift towards responsible and sustainable consumerism, that fashion companies are well aware off. Brands that value transparency and innovation are realising that fur production – and the inevitable cruelty associated with fur cage farming and commercial trapping – does not fit into that picture. The future of fashion inevitably is fur-free.”

“We have decided to adopt a different route and we are therefore giving our sustainable corporate strategy – in this case, animal protection – precedence over the ‘fast’ and ‘simple’ route to success,” HUGO BOSS said in its 2014 fur free announcement. “Contemporary customers are part of a generation which is re-evaluating their ethical and environmental values.”

Besides animal welfare and ethical consumerism, the environmental impact is another reason for companies to quit fur. Fur is a highly chemical and energy-consumptive product, that, compared to other materials, will always be the less sustainable choice. When companies look into their environmental footprint they quickly find dropping fur is the very first step towards more sustainable products.

22 JUNE 2017, FRANCE – After working together with Fur Free Alliance member One Voice French major multi-line retailer La Redoute joined the Fur Free Retailer program. La Redoute is one of France’s top e-commerce sellers of women’s apparel and home decor.

Nathalie Balla, co-president of La Redoute, commented on this ethical choice:

“Many years ago we made the responsible choice of not having real fur in the design of our products or in the selection of products distributed by La Redoute. The decision to join the Fur Free Retailer program in 2017 is in line with our sustainable development plan and in our resolution to support an ethical belief around animal rights. This public commitment by La Redoute to society corresponds with a desire to be influential and to contribute to a more beautiful world.”

Read more about the Fur Free Retailer program.

6 JUNE 2017 – YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP (YNAP), the world’s leading online luxury fashion retailer, has announced this week that it is adopting a fur free policy that will exclude all items and accessories made from animal fur.

The fur free policy, confirms the commitment of the Group to managing environmental impact responsibly, and follows a long- standing relationship with Fur Free Alliance members The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society International (HSI) and Lega Anti Vivisezione (LAV).

Matteo James Moroni, Head of Sustainability at YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP, commented:

“YNAP is on a very important journey towards managing environmental impact responsibly. This journey began with the launch of our first sustainability initiative, YOOXYGEN, in 2009. Our fur free commitment announced today was inspired by a thorough and rigorous educational process with the HSUS and LAV regarding the protection of animal rights. We aim to act as a catalyst for change in the industry, sharing knowledge, innovating and leading by example.”

YNAP will continue to work closely with HSUS, HSI, LAV, and other leading animal and environmental protection organizations to keep the Group and its partners continually updated about fur and ethical sourcing.

PJ Smith, senior manager of fashion policy for The HSUS, said:

“We applaud YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP for demonstrating compassionate leadership in the luxury fashion industry. This move should encourage designers and other retailers to opt for stylish and functional alternatives to fur and to shed the cruelty associated with commercial trapping and fur farming.”

Claire Bass, executive director of HSI/UK, commented:

“YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP going fur- free sends a truly powerful message across the fashion world, and to luxury brands in particular, that fur is very firmly out of fashion. Designers and fashion retailers that continue to sell fur are peddling a product of immense animal suffering, so it is thrilling to see such influential brands embracing fur free policies.”

With its decision YNAP has joined the international Fur Free Retailer Program of the Fur Free Alliance. The commitment ensures that YNAP’s multi-brand online stores promote commercial policies that are fur-free and in-line with animal rights. YNAP plans to continue collaborating closely with HSUS, HSI, LAV, and other leading animal and environmental protection organizations to keep the Group continually updated about fur and ethical sourcing.

Simone Pavesi, manager of animal free fashion for LAV, said:

“YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP’s commitment is a significant milestone that should stand as a leading example to the fashion world. It is a tangible signal that the clothing industry can be more sustainable and ethical, without necessarily resorting to the use of animal products.”