Our latest guide to fashion brands reveals how young people are being misled by the “patently false” environmental and animal-friendly claims of a new wave of emerging fast-fashion online stores.
Lead researcher Alex Crumbie gives his insights into his latest guide.
Read more
“There’s a little bit [of fur] to phase out as there is still some in stores and we will phase it out, but it was already not a part of our creative thinking,” he said at the Burberry LFW show.
Burberry joins Gucci, Versace and Michael Kors which have all made ‘fur-free’ announcements in the last year.
Humane Society International UK welcomed Burberry’s announcement. A spokesperson said:
“We are delighted that this iconic British fashion giant is finally going fur-free. Most British consumers don’t want anything to do with the cruelty of fur. Burberry’s compassionate stance couldn’t have come at a better time, sending a strong message to designers like Prada still using fur who are looking more and more isolated and outdated by the day.”
Burberry faced backlash in July when it was reported that it had burned around £28 million worth of stock in the last year alone. Burberry claimed that it incinerated products as a safeguard to prevent unwanted items being stolen or sold at a discount and therefore decreasing the value of the brand.
In response to criticism, Burberry has announced that it will cease burning unwanted stock immediately in an attempt to salvage its reputation. Gobbetti claims that “now customers are not happy if you don’t care about the environment they live in”. Perhaps the designer brand is beginning to respond to the growing demand for sustainability in the sector.
While the designer brands are finally ditching fur, they remain stuck in the past when it comes to workers’ rights and toxics. See our guide to designer clothing, where the highest score is only 7.
