Kering‘s CEO François-Henri Pinault announced that all of the French-based multinational corporation’s brands will no longer be using fur in their products.
The fashion luxury conglomerate behind Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga has banned the use of animal fur across all of its brands by fall 2022. The decision was foreshadowed as most of them already abandoned the use of animal fur or plan to remove it from their collections gradually. As such, the CEO of Kering, François-Henri Pinault has announced the company’s decision last week.
“When it comes to animal welfare, our Group has always demonstrated its willingness to improve practices within its own supply chain and the luxury sector in general.”
Despite losses, this initiative will change the future of high fashion and the way consumers shop. The losses may not even make a huge difference in comparison to the company’s larger revenue. According to BoF, “when Gucci announced it would drop the material in 2017, fur products accounted for roughly €10 million EUR (approximately $11.7 million USD) in sales, less than 0.2% of its overall revenue.”
The official Kering statement also shows how the group formalised and published a set of standards on animal welfare. The statement will continue to determine its use of animal fibres and materials. This recent action further spotlights Kering’s sustainability commitment and confirms its leading position in environmental awareness.
This push for animal advocacy should ensure brand engagement and customer loyalty for Kering, as its consumer base is primarily ethical and pro-environment shoppers. The pressure for brands to take further action against animal cruelty has been mounting for years.
“Going fur-free gives a good signal that things are removing seriously in this industry in different ways to sustainability. … Through this lens, some materials have no place in luxury.”
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