Milan Fashion Week now advises against fur

Fashion

Fendi FW26 show. Credits: ©Launchmetrics/spotlight

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Milan, Italy – The organisers of Milan Fashion Week on Friday “invited” fashion brands to avoid fur in their shows, a turning point adopted after lengthy discussions with NGOs.

The new “guidelines” for Milan Fashion Week “invite”, without obligation, brands not to feature “clothing, accessories or any other item containing fur” during their shows, the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) stated in a press release.

Milan is cautiously following in the footsteps of London and New York Fashion Weeks, which decided to ban fur several years ago. Meanwhile, Italy has banned animal farming for fur since 2022, as has France since 2021 and the UK since 2003.

The use of fur in the global fashion industry has dropped sharply in recent years. This is due to concerns about animal cruelty, changing trends and the emergence of new synthetic alternatives. Paradoxically, these alternatives have also helped bring fur back into fashion.

Activists regularly protested during Milan's four fashion weeks (spring/summer, autumn/winter, men's and women's) to demand that brands ban fur.

“This initiative reaffirms the Chamber of Fashion's determination to address the evolution of the fashion industry with full awareness and a sense of balance, consistent with the strategies we have already put in place,” said Carlo Capasa, president of the CNMI.

For Emma Håkansson, director of the Fashion Justice collective, one of the three NGOs that held discussions with the CNMI, this announcement is “a historic step for the Italian fashion industry, marking a shift away from the unethical and unsustainable use of fur.”

“Without a complete ban on fur, it is not guaranteed that cruelty will be excluded from the Milanese catwalks. We hope that this anti-fur declaration will encourage the increased use of new-generation biomaterials that are both beautiful and responsible. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the CNMI to better protect vulnerable animals that do not exist to become clothing,” the activist continued in a statement.

Milanese giants Armani, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana had already given up fur. A few notable exceptions remain in the Italian luxury landscape, such as Fendi, owned by the French group LVMH, an illustrious house whose history is closely linked to fur.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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