French luxury house Saint Laurent will go completely fur free in its collections from next year, its parent company Kering said Friday.
Kering stated that Brioni (an Italian menswear company) will also cease using natural fur. This luxury brand that includes Alexander McQueen’s Gucci, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta will be completely fur-free.
Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault said that “going entirely fur free is just the right thing to do. We do it out of conviction, for the sake of ethics and modernity.”
Animal rights groups have long pushed for luxury houses to stop using fur. Many in Paris, such as Stella McCartney and Chanel, had already renounced it in recent years. Welcoming Friday’s move, rights group Humane Society International said that it “puts pressure on the few remaining fashion brands that continue to sell fur to follow suit.”
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Earlier this year, non-profit organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called out the YSL brand multiple times for its use of fur on Twitter.
“There’s no excuse for @YSL to still support the torment and killing of animals for their fur. Urge Saint Laurent’s parent company to ban fur immediately,” PETA tweeted in April.
Saint Laurent is the latest luxury house to join others who’ve gone fur free likeCoach, Burberry, Versace and Hugo Boss which pledged to do so in 2018.
At the time, other fabrics had come under fire. Low-priced clothing chain Forever 21 said it would ban mohair from its scarves, sweaters and other products by 2020 amid concerns about animal rights. Fast-fashion giants H&M and Zara also said they would no longer sell items containing the yarn within two years.
Paris Fashion Week starts Monday. The French capital will host both digital and physical ready to wear collections.
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Contributing: Charisse Jones, USA TODAY
