Gucci commits to going fur-free from 2018

The luxury fashion house will sell its remaining fur items in an auction with the proceeds donated to animal rights organisations

Gucci's boss said the brand continues to strive to do better for the environment

Fashion giant Gucci has committed to being fur-free from next year, starting with its spring-summer 2018 collection.

The Italian luxury brand’s president and chief executive, Marco Bizzarri, announced the move at a talk at the London College of Fashion on Wednesday.

Mr Bizzarri said: “Being socially responsible is one of Gucci’s core values, and we will continue to strive to do better for the environment and animals.”

As such, the brand will no longer use any type of animal fur including, coyote, mink, fox, rabbit or karakul, which is a breed of domestic sheep.

Mr Bizzarri said the change could be made in part thanks to Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, who joined in 2015.

“I wanted to find someone who shared a belief in the importance of the same values. I sensed that immediately on meeting Alessandro for the first time,” Mr Bizzarri said in a statement.

The fashion house’s remaining fur clothing will be sold in an auction with the money made donated to the animal rights organisation Humane Society International and LAV, an organisation that initiates legal actions to assert animal rights.

In a statement, Humane Society International president Kitty Block said: “Gucci going fur-free is a game-changer.

“For this Italian powerhouse to end the use of fur because of the cruelty involved will have a huge ripple effect throughout the world of fashion.”

As part of the change, Gucci will also join the Fur-Free alliance. This is a group of international organisations that campaigns for animal welfare and encourages that alternatives to fur are used by the fashion industry.

Joh Vinding, the chairman of Fur Free Alliance, said: “For decades animals in the fur industry has been subjected to intense cruelty, living their entire lives in miserable, filthy cages. Gucci’s new fur free policy marks a game-changer for the whole luxury fashion industry to follow.”

In March last year, another Italian fashion house, Armani, announced it was going fur-free, joining other fashion brands committed to not using fur including Stella McCartney, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss and Vivienne Westwood.