London Fashion Week Will Be Fur Free

This article was originally published on September 11th 2018 on The Natinal Student.

Back in February, a poll conducted by PETA in the lead up to February’s London Fashion Week showed that 95% of the autumn/winter 2018 collections shown would be fur-free. 

Now, however, a survey carried out by the British Fashion Council as part of its Positive Fashion initiative suggests that for the first time ever, this month’s LFW will be 100% fur-free, as none of the designers on the official schedule is planning to use fur in their collections. 

Recent changes of heart against using fur among various brands- including Burberry, Roland Mouret, Gucci, Michael Kors, and Mulberry- suggested that the tide may finally have been changing and now, despite fur-farming being illegal in the UK for fifteen years, this will be the city’s first ever fashion week to fully reflect it. 

Addressing Burberry’s decision to cease using fur in its collections, the brand’s chief executive Marco Gobbetti told the Business of Fashion that “I don’t think it is compatible with modern luxury and with the environment in which we live, and Riccardo [Tisci, Burberry’s creative director] has a very strong view as well on this”.

Perhaps most notable is the fact that neither LFW itself nor the British Fashion Council have issued a ban on fur; Caroline Rush, the council’s chief executive, stated that a total ban has not been implemented because the BFC does not "define or control the creative process of the designers" and because "using fur is not illegal in the UK and it needs to come down to the choice of both the designer and ultimately the consumer".  

This means that, rather than going fur-free through force, designers and brands are consciously and willingly making the decision to seek out more ethical and sustainable alternatives, fully supporting the Positive Fashion initiative’s role as “a platform designed to celebrate industry best practice and encourage future business decisions to create positive change”, rather than being a body that imposes unwelcome rules on creators.  Fur isn’t fashion, and it London is out to prove it.