Luxury brands are getting up to speed. This Friday, September 24, the Saint-Laurent brand of the Kering group announced in a press release its intention to ban animal fur.
The year 2022 will be marked by a big change in the world of fashion. After Balenciaga, Gucci and Chanel, it is the turn of the Saint-Laurent brand to join the animal cause. In a press release published this Friday, September 24 and included in particular by Franceinfo, the luxury group Kering expressed its enthusiasm: “Now is the time to take it one step further by ending the use of fur in all of our collections.” Its managing director, François-Henri Pinault, had already made this symbolic change in October 2017 for the Gucci brand, then Balenciaga.
Saint-Laurent was the last brand to authorize animal fur within the Kering group, along with Brioni. Among the other groups, some brands had already turned away from it for several years, starting with Chanel. For François-Henri Pinault, it is about getting up to date and following the evolution of society: “Luxury must naturally adapt to it”, he said in the statement. Marie-Claire Daveu, director of sustainable development within the group, insisted on Kering’s ethical approach: “We believe that slaughtering animals that will not be eaten strictly for the use of their fur is not modern luxury.” This important decision will be put into practice from 2022.
The response of the PETA association
Before banning animal fur, the Saint-Laurent brand was regularly targeted by animal protectors. On several occasions, members of the PETA association protested in front of Saint-Laurent stores and also sent numerous letters. President Ingrid Newkirk therefore congratulated the French brand’s gesture before recalling one last time: “No compassionate person wants to wear fur, no sane designer works with it and any fashion house still selling it in 2021 should be ashamed of itself.” The message is clear.