Donatella Versace says label will stop using fur in products

With this announcement, made by the fashion designer during a magazine interview, Versace joins a host of other fashion brands, including Armani, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss and Ralph Lauren, which had all already ditched furs from their collections.

Donatella Versace has said her family’s luxury fashion label will no longer use real furs in its products, according to an interview with a British magazine.

The Italian fashion queen and Versace’s creative director told The Economist’s 1843 magazine that it would stop the practice, without providing further details on the change.

“Fur? I am out of that,” Versace said. “I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion. “It doesn’t feel right.”

Versace’s headquarters in Milan, Italy, could not be reached for comment.

In this file photo taken on February 24, 2018, activists wearing fox masks take part in an anti-fur protest outside the venue of the Hong Kong International Fur and Fashion Fair.

1843 noted the announcement was such a “volte-face” that at the time of the magazine writing its article, which was published online on March 14, Versace’s website was still urging customers to buy “fur-embellished coats that turn heads”.

The luxury label has historically included lots of furs across its ranges, from a variety of species including mink and raccoon dog, according to the Humane Society International (HSI), which campaigns globally for an end to the fur trade.

It noted Versace’s autumn / winter 2017 collection included laser cut mink and fox coats.

Donatella Versace acknowledges the applause with former top models Carla Bruni (left), Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen (right) at the end of Versace Spring/Summer 2018 show at the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy in September 2017.

“Versace is a massively influential luxury brand that symbolises excess and glamour, and so its decision to stop using fur shows that compassionate fashion has never been more on trend,” said Claire Bass, executive director of HSI’s UK arm.

However, the International Fur Federation said it was “disappointed” by the decision. “The majority of top designers will continue to work with fur as they know it is a natural product that is produced responsibly,” said its CEO Mark Oaten.

“With growing concern about the environment and plastics in fashion, I truly believe fur is the natural and responsible choice for designers and consumers.”

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