London Fashion Week will be fur free.

Paloma Faith

Paloma Faith

The British Fashion Council (BFC) have announced the shows taking place this month will not feature garments made from animal skins after carrying out a survey asking designers if they were planning to use fur in their presentations.

BFC chief executive Caroline Rush said the move "highlights a trend we have seen over the past few years, with more and more brands deciding to use alternative materials to fur."

She added: "The fur dialogue is ongoing and the stance of brands such as Burberry, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Yoox Net-A-Porter, Versace and Vivienne Westwood, among others, to look at alternative options to fur will encourage more brands to consider what options are available to them."

The official announcement came after Burberry announced creative director Riccardo Tisci's debut show at LFW would be fur-free.

Chief executive Marco Gobbetti said: "I don't think it is compatible with modern luxury and with the environment in which we live, and Riccardo has a very strong view as well on this.

"It's part of what Burberry is today."

The Humane Society International UK have hailed the move and hopes it persuades other major fashion houses to follow suit.

Wendy Higgins, director of international media at the organisation, said: "Most British consumers don't want anything to do with the cruelty of fur and so this is absolutely the right decision by this quintessentially British brand.

"And as fashion week kicks off in New York, 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time, sending a strong message to designers like Prada still using fur, who are looking more and more isolated and outdated by the day."

Earlier this week, singer Paloma Faith penned an open letter for animal rights group PETA to urge the BFC to introduce a fur-free policy.

Referring to the 2003 ban on fur farming in the UK, she wrote: "The BFC shouldn't be endorsing a material whose production is deemed so cruel that it is outlawed in the UK.

"With the vast number of cutting-edge, eco-friendly faux furs available on the market today, I'm sure you'll agree that there's no longer any excuse for killing animals for their fur."


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