Kering Officially Bans Fur Across All Its Brands
CEO François-Henri Pinault says the luxury sector needs to adapt to the changing world.
Kering‘s CEO François-Henri Pinault announced last week that all of the French-based multinational corporation’s brands will no longer be using fur in its products.
“[Fur] is symbolic; it’s a material that was very much linked to the luxury industry historically,” Pinault shared with Business of Fashion. “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.”
In addition to major fashion houses like Prada, Chanel and Burberry, most of Kering’s labels including Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga have gone fur-free. The company’s new policy arrives as part of a wider sustainable strategy, which aims to tackle the industry’s environmental impact. 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 remaining brands to implement the policy are Saint Laurent and Brioni. “We will lose some customers that were looking for those types of products,” Pinault shared. “There’s an impact for sure.” Despite some losses, this initiative will change the future of high fashion and the way consumers shop.
