In a bold move Italian fashion house Gucci has just announced that the brand will no longer use fur.
Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri made the announcement at a talk at the London College of Fashion this week. The decision to halt the use of fur in their products was made alongside the brand’s creative director, Alessandro Michele. Gucci joins a small list of other fur-free luxury brands including Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Armani. Moving forward the brand will only use faux-fur and wool in their pieces. From both an ethical and environmental perspective the decision makes sense. In order for Gucci to remain relevant and appealing to millennial buyers a socially conscious brand identity is key.
Speaking to Business of Fashion about the new policy, Bizzarri said:
“Do you think using furs today is still modern? I don’t think it’s still modern and that’s the reason why we decided not to do that. It’s a little bit out-dated, creativity can jump in many different directions instead of using furs.”
Some of Gucci’s most famous pieces feature fur, who could forget their ever popular statement-making fur-lined loafers, so it will be interesting to see how the brand’s aesthetics shift under this new policy. Stay tuned!