London Fashion Week might look a little different this year following an announcement from the British Fashion Council that the event is going completely fur-free for the first time.
According to the council, none of the designers in the official schedule for September will be using animal fur in their shows, which it discovered after a survey questioning whether they planned on presenting the material on their runways and presentations. (The survey is part of the BFC’s Positive Fashion initiative, which champions best practices in the fashion industry.)
In a statement, the council shared that the results “reflect a cultural change based on ideals and choices made by designer businesses, international brands as well as consumer sentiment but also encouraged by the stance of multibrand stores who are moving away from selling fur.”
London becomes the first of the major fashion weeks to nix the controversial material from runways. It saw a rise in the number of anti-fur protesters in recent years, with demonstrations at shows including Mary Katrantzou, Gareth Pugh and even Burberry — the latter of which pledged yesterday that it will no longer use real fur, starting with recently appointed creative director Riccardo Tisci’s debut collection on Sept. 17. (The British heritage brand will also halt the practice of destroying unsaleable products.)
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“Modern luxury means being socially and environmentally responsible. This belief is core to us at Burberry and key to our long-term success. We are committed to applying the same creativity to all parts of Burberry as we do to our products,” CEO Marco Gobbetti said in a statement.
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