PETA U.S. celebrates Dolce & Gabanna’s landmark decision to ban fur and Angora after two decades of pressure from PETA entires around the world.

Dolce & Gabbana is the most recent luxury brand to prohibit the use of animal fur in its collections. On Monday, the brand states that it will no longer use fur or angora in its production. This decision comes in collaboration with the international animal protection organisation, In Defense of Animals (IDA). The IDA has been advocating for the abolition of the fur trade since 1983.

Per Retail Gazette, IDA communications director Fleur Dawes explains that, “Clothing and accessories needn’t harm animals. We urge all designers to follow suit by ditching all fabrics made from animal fur and skin.”

Dolce and Gabanna have big plans to incorporate sustainable faux fur alternatives and reverse-cycle materials into their designs. Fedele Usai, Communications and Marketing Officer at Dolce and Gabanna tells Vogue Business,

“The entire fashion system has a significant social responsibility role that must be promoted and encouraged” 

Usai goes on to explain that Dolce and Gabbana are integrating new and innovative materials into their collections. This new approach has an environmentally friendly production process in mind. He adds that “a more sustainable future can’t contemplate the use of animal fur”.

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International both support Dolce & Gabanna’s new direction.

Eye Catching Protests

These fur-free announcements come after long-term engagement between Dolce and Gabanna and animal welfare organisations. Three hundred thousand emails from PETA supporters and eye-catching protests have become an important part of the process of change. These demonstrations, appearing outside and inside of stores, have kept a lasting impact on Dolce & Gabanna. This positive action against animal cruelty can now see its impact; a landmark decision for D&G to ban all Angora and fur products from future collections.

Fur-free

The label’s decision to ban fur follows luxury fashion house, Moncler’s decision to do so, late in 2021. Moncler recently announced that fur sourcing will stop in 2022 as part of its collaboration with the Italian organisation LAV; another Fur Free Alliance representative. Autumn/Winter 2023 is its final collection to include fur, including Moncler’s signature puffer jackets. D&G plans to remove fur materials as soon as this year.

French powerhouse Kering is also fur-free as of September 2021, with all collections stopping the production of animal fur products from Autumn/Winter 2022. Gucci already took the pledge in 2017.

Per Vogue Business,

“The world has changed, along with our clients, and luxury naturally needs to adapt to that,” CEO and chairman François-Henri Pinault says.

D&G intends to create varieties of new faux fur in an effort to convincingly imitate the previously animal-based items. These new polyester and acrylic-type materials are, apparently, more gentle to the environment.

“The entire fashion system has a significant social responsibility role that must be promoted and encouraged.” Says Usai.

The luxury label has big plans to incorporate innovative materials into future collections. They are also investing more in environmentally friendly production processes. This helps to preserve fur artisan’s jobs, which can otherwise be lost.

The Elephant in the Room

Whether fur comes from an animal raised on a fur farm or one caught in the wild, it perpetuates a cycle of animal suffering. The majority of animals spend their lives inside small cages. They often pace frantically, gnaw on bars and mutilate themselves. Others get caught in steel-jaw traps, which slam shut on their legs. They frequently cut down to the bone, causing excruciating pain and blood loss.

Some animals try to escape by chewing off their own legs. Trappers strangle, shoot, or stomp trapped animals to death. If they don’t die from blood loss, infection, or attacks by other animals first, this is their fate. Humane society fashion policy director, PJ Smith, tells Vogue Business,

“The amount of companies going fur-free in the last year is staggering… The majority of luxury brands are fur-free now, with very few left selling fur. The elephant in the room is LVMH.”

This year, Italy banned fur farming. They now stand with around 20 other countries that have either banned or limited fur farming over the last two decades.

“The use of animal fur cannot be considered in a more sustainable future”, explains Usai.

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